URC 2025/26 · Quarter-Final
Stormers
Cardiff
DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Championship Standings
This is the 3rd seed against the 6th seed — and the seeding flatters nobody's recent week. The Stormers finished the regular season 3rd on 60 points (12–1–5, +160 PD), good enough to earn a home quarter-final at DHL Stadium. Cardiff scraped into the playoffs for the first time in their history as the 6th seed on 55 points (11–7, −19 PD) — and they did it by walking into Cape Town's seeding picture having beaten these very Stormers 22–16 in Wales on the final weekend. The reward for that upset: a 9,000km trip straight back to the Cape for a knockout.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Glasgow Warriors | 18 | 13 | 5 | +141 | 65 |
| 2 |  Leinster | 18 | 12 | 6 | +145 | 63 |
| 3 | Stormers | 18 | 12 | 5 | +160 | 60 |
| 4 |  Bulls | 18 | 12 | 6 | +160 | 59 |
| 5 |  Munster | 18 | 11 | 7 | +20 | 55 |
| 6 | Cardiff | 18 | 11 | 7 | −19 | 55 |
| 7 |  Lions | 18 | 10 | 7 | +59 | 54 |
| 8 |  Connacht | 18 | 10 | 8 | +47 | 54 |
| 9 |  Ulster | 18 | 9 | 8 | +74 | 52 |
| 10 |  Sharks | 18 | 8 | 9 | +39 | 46 |
| 11 |  Ospreys | 18 | 7 | 9 | −78 | 39 |
| 12 |  Edinburgh | 18 | 7 | 11 | −77 | 38 |
| 13 |  Benetton | 18 | 6 | 10 | −166 | 33 |
| 14 |  Scarlets | 18 | 4 | 12 | −99 | 28 |
| 15 |  Dragons | 18 | 3 | 11 | −131 | 28 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 18 | 2 | 16 | −275 | 15 |
Stormers
W1, D1, L3Read the last month and you would not guess this side finished 3rd. The Stormers have won just one of their last five — a 48–12 demolition of Glasgow that showed the ceiling — bookended by a one-point Champions Cup QF loss at Toulon, a home defeat to Connacht, a 38–38 draw at Ulster, and then the gut-punch: a 22–16 loss to Cardiff on the road that handed the Welsh side a playoff berth. DHL Stadium remains close to a fortress (only Connacht have won there all URC season), and the firepower is real — but the rhythm has been ragged since the European exit.
Cardiff
W3, L2Cardiff have peaked at exactly the right moment. Three wins in their last five — the Welsh derby at Scarlets, a tight home win over Ospreys, and the headline 22–16 takedown of the Stormers in Cardiff that booked their first-ever URC playoff — have carried them into knockout rugby on a genuine high. The 40–17 hammering at Scotstoun is the obvious caveat (and a warning about how they travel against elite opposition), but every other recent result has been a one-score game. This is a side that has learned to win ugly, tight matches — and they have already proven they can do it against the team standing in front of them.
Head-to-Head Record
2 – 0 – 2
Stormers wins · Draws · Cardiff wins (last 4 meetings)
Stormers (2)Honours even over the last four meetings — but the venue split is the story. Both Cardiff wins (30–24 in 2022, 22–16 in 2026) came at the Arms Park; both Stormers wins came in Cape Town, and they were not close — 40–3 in March 2022 and 34–24 in May 2025. Cardiff have never beaten the Stormers in South Africa. The most recent meeting two weeks ago — Cardiff 22, Stormers 16 — is the freshest and most relevant data point, but it was on Welsh soil with a much-changed Stormers side.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | URC | Cardiff 22–16 Stormers |
| May 2025 | URC | Stormers 34–24 Cardiff |
| Nov 2023 | URC | Cardiff 31–24 Stormers |
| Oct 2022 | URC | Cardiff 30–24 Stormers |
| Mar 2022 | URC | Stormers 40–3 Cardiff |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Split 2–2 over the last four, but in Cape Town the Stormers have won both meetings by an average of 23 points (40–3 and 34–24). Every Cardiff win has come at the Arms Park.
Extended Form
Stormers12W, 1D, 5L (URC) · 3W, 2L (ECC)
URC season: 3rd on 60 pts (+160 PD). Standout wins: Leinster 35–0, Glasgow 48–12, Bulls 13–8 (H) and 32–19 (A), Ospreys 26–10, Munster 27–21 (A). Losses include Sharks (home and away), Lions, Connacht 24–33 (H), and Cardiff 16–22 (A) on the final weekend. Champions Cup: beat Stade Rochelais 42–21, Leicester 39–26, Bayonne 26–17 (A); QF loss at Toulon 28–27.
The body of work is top-three-in-Europe quality — 12 URC wins, a near-perfect home record, and a Champions Cup run that ended by a single point at Toulon. But the closing stretch wobbled: one win in five, the European hangover lingering, and a final-round loss to the very team they now face. The class is unquestioned; the question is whether the knockout switch flips back on at home.
Cardiff11W, 7L (URC) · mixed (Challenge Cup)
URC season: 6th on 55 pts (−19 PD) — first-ever playoff qualification. Key wins: Stormers 22–16 (H), Leinster 8–7 (H), Lions 33–20, Edinburgh 20–19, Ulster, Ospreys 24–21. Heavy losses: Bulls 7–40 (A), Glasgow 17–40 (A). Challenge Cup: beat Racing 92 32–13 and Ulster 29–26 at home; lost at Exeter 0–31 and Stade Francais 17–38.
A historic season for Cardiff — their first URC playoff in the competition's history, built on a knack for winning tight ones (Leinster 8–7, Edinburgh by one, the Stormers by six). The flip side is brutal away thrashings at altitude and against elite packs — Bulls 7–40, Glasgow 17–40. They have never won a knockout-level match in South Africa, and the travel-and-heat profile that exposed them in Pretoria looms again in Cape Town.
Stormers XV
Confirmed. Neethling Fouché captains from tighthead with Deon Fourie (knee) and Ruhan Nel (calf) both sidelined. Damian Willemse shifts back to fullback in an all-new midfield of Jonathan Roche and Wandisile Simelane; Suleiman Hartzenberg comes onto the right wing and Imad Khan keeps the 9 jersey alongside Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (URC's leading points-scorer on 158). Evan Roos (URC's top try-scorer, 12) anchors the back row. Springbok lock Salmaan Moerat returns from injury on a bench that also includes JJ Kotzé and Marcel Theunissen.
Cardiff XV
Projected — Cardiff had not published their confirmed match-day XV as of 29 May (checked cardiffrugby.wales, sarugbymag.co.za, RugbyPass and ESPN). Coach Corniel van Zyl has confirmed Welsh internationals Josh Adams, Alex Mann and Mason Grady are all back from injury, along with lock Josh McNally (who missed the win over the Stormers on RAF duty). The XV below is the most likely selection based on the side that beat the Stormers 22–16 a fortnight ago plus those returnees — Ben Thomas leads from centre, Ioan Lloyd at 10, Taulupe Faletau in the back row. Update once Cardiff confirm.
Key Matchups
The contest hinges on two things: the Stormers' set piece and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's boot. The Springbok-laced front row plus a returning Salmaan Moerat off the bench should give the Stormers a clear scrum-lineout edge over a Cardiff pack that was physically dismantled 40–7 at the Bulls and 40–17 at Glasgow on its tougher travel days. Feinberg-Mngomezulu (URC-leading 158 points) and Evan Roos (URC-leading 12 tries) are the kind of match-winners Cardiff simply do not have an answer for over 80 minutes. Cardiff's best route is the back row — Faletau, Botham and Mann can slow ball and live in the breakdown — and the experience of Josh Adams and Mason Grady out wide. But the longer this stays a kicking and set-piece game, the more it favours the home side.
Match Forecast
Everything points to the venue. Cardiff earned this on merit — beating the Stormers 22–16 to crash the playoffs — but they did it at the Arms Park, and they have never won in South Africa. Now they fly ~9,000km for the second time in three weeks to face a wounded, proud home side at a DHL Stadium where only one team has won all URC season. The Stormers' set piece, Feinberg-Mngomezulu's 158-point boot and Evan Roos's 12-try season are weapons Cardiff couldn't fully contain even at home, and the SA-tour travel modifier on a knockout weekend stacks the home edge. Set piece, home advantage and the H2H venue split all lean clearly to the Stormers.
The reasons to hedge are obvious and recent. Cardiff just beat this team, they have won three of their last five, and the Stormers' own form (one win in five) is a genuine red flag — if Faletau and Botham win the breakdown and Lloyd controls territory, Cardiff are well capable of nicking another one-score game. But the Stormers thrashed Cardiff 34–24 and 40–3 the last two times these sides met in Cape Town, the pack should dominate, and a Bok-heavy bench led by a returning Moerat is a knockout-grade closing unit. Expect the home side to set the record straight by two scores.
Stormers by 10–16 — Cardiff have never won in South Africa, and a long-haul knockout trip to DHL Stadium is the wrong place to start.