The Stormers in Champions Cup story opens on a charged Friday night in Bayonne, and it carries the tension of a team that has learned its lessons, deepened its squad, and refuses to be defined by last season’s early exit. Six straight United Rugby Championship wins, capped by a thunderous comeback at Munster, have shifted mood into belief, and John Dobson’s group arrives in France with intent, not hype.
The form line after Limerick and the belief behind it
Munster led 21-6 at halftime in Limerick, the crowd bayed, the Stormers looked off the pace. Then came 50 minutes of control, a power game that rolled and a defensive snap that shut the door, 27 unanswered points, 27-21 on the board, and a statement that travels well. As Director of Rugby John Dobson put it, the fight and growing depth are what fuels their confidence, a message that resonates precisely because of that second half at Thomond Park.
Norman Laker did not soft-pedal the first half issues against Munster, the defence coach admitted the disjointed opening was disappointing, which is why the staff demanded a sharp improvement before Bayonne. This is a group obsessed with incremental gains, a team that treats clean sheets like prizes, and as Laker joked, those donuts he buys for shutouts are currency players love to earn.
Lessons from last season and the matter of home advantage
South African teams stumbled out of the blocks in last season’s Champions Cup, and the Stormers were not spared. A narrow defeat to Toulon in Gqeberha and a heavy loss to Harlequins in London left them chasing shadows for the remainder of pool play, they never reached the round of 16. The context matters, they were juggling URC survival and cross-hemisphere travel that forced difficult selections.
There is also the thorny issue of venue. The Stormers are formidable at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, and they have never lost a Champions Cup pool game there. Yet their first home pool date is again in the Eastern Cape, this time against La Rochelle in Gqeberha, and last year at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium they played once and lost once. If this competition is to grip Cape Town, the Stormers and stadium operators will want more of these European nights in their true home.
Selection calls and a Bok boost before Bayonne
This week brought clarity and a nudge of firepower. Ben-Jason Dixon and Ntuthuko Mchunu linked up after Springbok duty and both start in Bayonne, with young prop Zachary Porthen joining the squad but missing out on selection. The Stormers make seven changes from Limerick, a reshuffle that reads less like compromise and more like rotation with purpose, underpinned by a bench that has become a weapon.
The headline tweaks sit in key channels. Imad Khan earns his first start of the season at scrumhalf and will steer alongside Clinton Swart, who steps in at flyhalf with Jurie Matthee injured. In the pack, Ruan Ackermann starts at eight, which means the explosive Evan Roos shifts to the bench, a balance that aims to keep the tempo high from minute one to eighty.
The matchday group to face Bayonne
Back three Warrick Gelant, Dylan Maart, Leolin Zas, midfield Wandisile Simelane, Dan du Plessis, halfbacks Clinton Swart, Imad Khan, front row Neethling Fouché, JJ Kotzé, Ntuthuko Mchunu, locks Salmaan Moerat and Connor Evans, loose trio Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Ruan Ackermann. The bench is loaded, Lukhanyo Vokozela, Ali Vermaak, Sazi Sandi, Adré Smith, JD Schickerling, Evan Roos, Dewaldt Duvenage, Jonathan Roche. Captain Salmaan Moerat makes his 50th start, a milestone that underscores the leadership spine.
There is narrative spice too. Former Stormers scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies is in Bayonne colours now, and Laker was clear that his old teammates know all about his threats. It adds familiarity to an already intense assignment, since Bayonne have not tasted defeat at Stade Jean-Dauger since the Bulls beat them in an EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16 tie in April.
The Bayonne cauldron and the Stormers response
By all accounts, Bayonne’s home ground is one of the most voluble in France, and that is saying plenty. Friday’s 10 pm kickoff arrives with noise guaranteed, plus a Top 14 side placed in the top six and confident enough to go for broke. Dobson has leaned into the challenge, asking his players to embrace the atmosphere and make it their experience to own, even while acknowledging how hard it will be to crack that home record.
JD Schickerling offered a window into the Stormers’ internal plan after Limerick, the starters were tasked to chip away, the so called Storm Squad to finish. That script likely repeats in Bayonne, with power options primed for a second half surge, a sequence that relies on the starting halfbacks settling quickly in hostile conditions and on set piece accuracy under pressure.
“We want a home round of 16 game at DHL Stadium,” Dobson said, linking the immediate task in France with the bigger picture of building a Champions Cup identity that lasts.
Logistics, the URC cushion and why this year feels different
Logistics were a hidden antagonist last season, South African sides bounced in and out of the north between URC derbies, and something had to give. The Stormers paid for that, sending an understrength side to Harlequins when URC survival was on the line, which undercut their European push from the outset.
This time the calendar is more forgiving. The Stormers opened against Munster in Ireland, now face Bayonne with an eight day turnaround into La Rochelle in Gqeberha, and they sit comfortably on top of the URC log. That cushion lowers the need to triage resources, it lets them attack the first two European rounds with strength, a contrast to last year when priorities collided.
The road ahead and why Cape Town will still matter
After Bayonne, La Rochelle awaits in Gqeberha, followed by Harlequins in London, then Leicester Tigers in Cape Town. The scheduling quirk means only one pool game at DHL Stadium, the finale against Leicester, which the Stormers want to turn from a survival scrap into a springboard to a home playoff. The theme is deliberate starts, put points on the board early, and create margin for the later rounds.
That La Rochelle date evokes memory of two epic clashes the season before last, and it will arrive with edge. The Stormers understand the symbolism, to plant their flag in Gqeberha after the Toulon disappointment, and then bring a decisive night back to Cape Town where their European record shines brightest.
What will decide Bayonne versus Stormers
The balance between patience and punch will be decisive, with two new pivots in a loud stadium and a home team that feeds off early surges. The Stormers have leaned on their bench all season, but they know starts matter in Europe, last year’s slow opening rounds still sting, and this is the place to change that story.
- this is how it’s done, fast defensive alignment to avoid a repeat of the Munster first half,
- this is how it’s done squared, set piece efficiency to give Swart and Khan clean platforms and exit options,
- this is how it’s done cubed, a second half surge from Roos and the power locks to close the door.
Keep an eye on the breakdown, where Ben-Jason Dixon’s work rate can tilt possession. Watch the backfield coverage, where Warrick Gelant’s positioning and kicking choices can calm the tempo in a stadium that thrives on chaos. And do not overlook the midfield, where Dan du Plessis and Wandisile Simelane will be asked to marry distribution with gainline resistance.
Depth with a purpose and the human beat behind it
This squad has grown, not just in names on a teamsheet, but in trust. Dobson spoke about building something that lasts, cohesion as a project, and the selection sheet echoes that, a senior core complemented by a bench loaded with momentum shifters. It is why Roos can sit among the replacements without panic, why a debutant hooker can step in with clarity of role, why an on-loan flyhalf can be tasked with control rather than fireworks.
There is personality sprinkled across the staff as well. Laker’s playful donut incentive for defensive shutouts hides a serious standard, the Stormers staff chase margins, they hold players to detail, and last week’s halftime talk in Limerick was followed by a structural reset that smothered Munster. That blend of humor and hardness is a cultural fingerprint, and it travels well.
The broader South African picture and Stormers’ place in it
South African teams were forced into sacrifice last term, which contributed to the Bulls’ and Sharks’ struggles as much as the Stormers’ own. This week the Bulls host Bordeaux with pressure to bank home points, the Sharks step into Toulouse with limited expectation, and that context quietly elevates the Stormers as the local side most primed to push for playoffs.
The URC standings back that up, six wins from six, four of them away, a clean sheet of results that clears headspace. It does not guarantee anything in Europe, but it gives the Stormers a lane to drive hard into the opening fortnight, which is exactly where last season unraveled.
Kickoff in Bayonne and a target set
Bayonne versus Stormers kicks off Friday at 10 pm, a cauldron, a confident Top 14 side, a visitor carrying momentum and memory. Dobson has been upfront about the target, a home round of 16 at DHL Stadium, a marker that would signal a return to standards that the Cape side believes reflect its true capacity.
Call it redemption if you like. The Stormers will probably prefer something simpler, start well, win well, and make the last pool night in Cape Town about ambition rather than survival. If the Munster second half was a clue, if the bench again turns a tight rope into a runway, the journey can gather pace under the Bayonne lights.
Bottom line
The Stormers arrive in Europe with form, clarity and an edge honed by last season’s frustrations. Their selection for Bayonne speaks to depth and plan, their coach’s stated aim of a home playoff speaks to ambition, and their schedule finally offers a platform rather than a trap. The next eight days, Bayonne away then La Rochelle in Gqeberha, will reveal how far this project has come, and whether that roar in Limerick was a prelude to something larger.
It starts tonight, and if they can bottle the second half from Thomond Park, trim the early errors that fed Munster, and quiet the Bayonne stands with simple accuracy, then the European story they wanted to tell last season might finally find its voice.
