By Marco Jacobs | Kairos Sport
Vodacom United Rugby Championship | DHL Stadium | 31 October 2026
The DHL Stormers produced a dominant second-half performance to defeat Ulster 33–7 at DHL Stadium on Saturday, securing valuable Vodacom United Rugby Championship points ahead of the November international break.
In front of 18,605 supporters, the Stormers overcame a frustrating opening half, characterised by handling errors and missed opportunities, before turning on the style after the break to score three unanswered tries.
Stormers find their feet
The home side enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the opening exchanges but struggled to turn their dominance into points.
Ulster took the lead in the 20th minute when captain David McCann crossed for a try, converted by Jack Murphy, after a penalty gave the visitors an opportunity to attack.
The Stormers responded through their forwards, gaining the upper hand at scrum time and putting Ulster under pressure with a series of powerful mauls.
Ulster prop Keynan Knox was shown a yellow card in the 27th minute for infringing in the maul.
The Stormers capitalised on their numerical advantage, with JD Schickerling powering over in the 34th minute. Yaqeen Ahmed converted to level the scores.
A minute before half-time, Paul de Villiers scored after a charged-down kick, giving the Stormers a 12–7 lead. Ahmed missed the conversion.
Half-time: DHL Stormers 12–7 Ulster
Roos and Ahmed inspire second-half surge
The Stormers made a flying start to the second half when Evan Roos produced one of the moments of the match.
Collecting the ball in his own half, Roos broke through the Ulster defence and showed impressive pace to outstrip the chasing defenders. Ahmed added the conversion to extend the lead to 19–7.
Although the match remained scrappy, the Stormers continued to dominate the scrum and gradually tightened their grip on the contest.
In the 71st minute, Ahmed delivered an excellent cross-field kick for Ruhan Nel, who gathered superbly to score in the right-hand corner. Ahmed converted to make it 26–7.
Ulster came close to scoring in the 74th minute, but their effort was held up over the try line.
Three minutes later, Ahmed capped an impressive performance by crossing for a try of his own. He converted to complete the scoring.
Full-time: DHL Stormers 33–7 Ulster
Dobson acknowledges handling concerns
Stormers head coach John Dobson admitted that his side had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves.
The Stormers recorded 14 knock-ons by half-time, an indication of their struggles to convert promising attacking opportunities.
However, Dobson was encouraged by the team’s scramble defence. Despite a tackle success rate of 72% and 36 missed tackles, the Stormers conceded just one try.
He also praised the development of young flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, whose maturity and influence continue to grow. Ahmed’s contribution against Ulster included a try, conversions and the excellent kick that created Nel’s score.
Dobson was also impressed with Marcus Miller’s performance in midfield as he continues adjusting from outside centre to inside centre.
Squad management and Springbok selections
With the November international break approaching, Dobson highlighted the importance of squad rotation and player welfare.
Bongi Mbonambi was rested as a precaution, while updates were also provided on Andre-Hugo Venter and BJ Dixon, who is dealing with a delayed concussion.
Dobson also welcomed the progressive selection of younger players for the Springbok end-of-year tour, believing that exposing emerging talent to the international environment is important with the 2027 Rugby World Cup approaching.
Murphy reflects on Ulster’s shortcomings
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy acknowledged that his side lost control of the contest after making a promising start.
He identified the Stormers’ dominance at set-piece time, particularly in the scrum, as a significant factor in the outcome.
Murphy also reflected on his team’s defensive lapses, difficulties adapting to the conditions at DHL Stadium and their inability to maintain attacking momentum.
Ulster will need to address those shortcomings, alongside squad depth and injury management, as they prepare for the next phase of the URC.
Nel: Making Cape Town smile
Centre Ruhan Nel also spoke about the importance of the Stormers’ relationship with their supporters.
He highlighted the team’s mission to “make Cape Town smile”, emphasising the value of engaging with fans, signing autographs and making themselves accessible to the community.
Nel described the Stormers as the people’s team, underlining the responsibility the players feel towards the supporters who continue to back them.
Valuable points for the Stormers
The Stormers will take plenty of encouragement from the result, particularly their scrum dominance, the emergence of young talent and their ability to turn a difficult first half into a convincing victory.
There are still areas to address, especially their handling and defensive accuracy, but Dobson’s side will head into the November international break with valuable URC points in the bag.
Final score: DHL Stormers 33–7 Ulster