[LOOK] Five of the best: Stormers dominate URC Dream Team
|Published
TOP TRIO: (From L-R) Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla and No.15 Warrick Gelant
Five Stormers players have been included in the first ever United Rugby Championship Dream Team.
Preparing to host Ireland’s Ulster in the tournament’s semifinal at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, the Stormers got the ultimate confidence booster with no fewer than four of their backline players named in the tournament’s official Best XV.
Fullback Warrick Gelant is joined by wings Seabelo Senatla and Leolin Zas, with inside centre Damian Willemse completing the backline quartet.
Up front, the Stormers only have Evan Roos at No.8 in the squad, with three Bulls players and two from the Sharks bringing the South African total in the team to 10.
While they still have their eye on the big prize, Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwane says of the achievement: “We want to be at our best every single weekend and we’re happy when our players receive accolades. We get extremely excited with that. We are really proud of the fact that the players are getting recognition for the hard work they put in.”
For Hlungwani, though, the hard work starts as soon as the final whistle blows, with the Stormers wanting to improve on a weekly basis.
Togetherness 🤝@THESTORMERS celebrate their Quarter-Final victory 🎶#URC | #AllFor1 pic.twitter.com/FwnkaznEVr
— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 7, 2022
He adds of Saturday’s match against Ulster: “It’s quite a big occasion and our mindset will be that we just want to be the best version of ourselves. “We don’t want to change much…
“We strongly feel we must improve every weekend, then the outcome looks after itself.”
With five of the tournament’s 15 best players in their squad, those words should be alarming for Duane Vermeulen and his Ulster teammates.
Here is your 21/22 Dream Team 👇
— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 7, 2022
5️⃣x @TheStormers
3️⃣x @BlueBullsRugby
2️⃣x @SharksRugby
2️⃣x @MunsterRugby
2️⃣x @UlsterRugby
1️⃣x @LeinsterRugby
Read more 👉 https://t.co/QkcwKNN5Xd#URC | #URCAwards pic.twitter.com/P19QcjFaK8
URC Dream Team
15 Warrick Gelant (Stormers), 14 Seabelo Senatla (Stormers), 13 James Hume (Ulster), 12 Damian Willemse (Stormers), 11 Leolin Zas (Stormers), 10 Ross Byrne (Leinster), 9 Craig Casey (Munster), 8 Evan Roos (Stormers), 7 Nick Timoney (Ulster), 6 Marcell Coetzee (Bulls), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Ox Nche (Sharks).