SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament 

Bulls stars form the core of our South African United Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The Pretoria side had a phenomenal season with stalwarts, returning stars and newcomers alike shining bright.

Unfortunately for them, there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as they suffered a heart-breaking 21-16 loss to the Glasgow Warriors in the grand final at Loftus Versfeld last Saturday, but as a consolation, seven of their standouts have been included in our Team of the Tournament.

A trio of Lions earned selection, one of whom wears the crown as our Player of the Tournament, three Stormers also made the cut, and a pair of Sharks complete our line-up.

15: Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)

A phoenix rising from the ashes, Fassi fired on all cylinders to breathe life into the Sharks’ often stale backline and work his way back into the Springbok squad for the first time since 2022. He dominated the metres-made stats (1230), while he also finished first in clean breaks (24) and fifth in successful carries (80). Scorer of five tries, he also shored up his defence, which had been the weakness in his game.

14: Canan Moodie (Bulls)

The 21-year-old looked like a seasoned campaigner as he cooked up a storm, both on the wing and in midfield. Fifth on the try-scoring list with nine, Moodie made his presence felt and continued his rapid evolution. It’s a shame he missed the playoffs after fracturing his index finger in the Bulls’ final league game against the Sharks.

13: David Kriel (Bulls)

Whether at No. 12 or No. 13, Kriel was the centre of attention for the South African Shield winners. The 1.95m, 100kg ace punched holes in some defences with his size and strength and cut up others with his speed and athleticism, scoring 11 tries (the third-most) and emerging as one of the country’s hottest prospects in the process. 

12: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers)

A blue-chipper with a bright Springbok future, Feinberg-Mngomezulu showcased his versatility as he made hay at flyhalf, inside centre and fullback. From poise beyond his years to ace goal-kicking and moments of individual brilliance, the 22-year-old delivered in spades. 

11: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls)

Electrifying on attack, a giant killer on defence and a soaring eagle through the sky, Arendse cemented himself as one of the best wings in the world in a season that saw him beat 26 defenders and make 17 clean breaks en route to scoring 10 tries (the fourth-most), the last two of which came in the Bulls’ 30-23 quarter-final win over Benetton.

10: Sanele Nohamba (Lions) – Player of the Tournament

It might not have been his intention at the start, but Nohamba used the season to reintroduce and reinvent himself as he went from capable scrumhalf to flair-filled flyhalf. The pint-sized playmaker became the Lions’ version of Damian McKenzie, while he proved himself to be a reliable goal-kicker as well and finished fourth on the points-scoring list with 117.

9: Morne van der Berg (Lions)

The Lions scrumhalf was a real livewire, mixing in dangerous darts with snappy, crisp service for the backline. He kept defences guessing and shifted gears superbly as he found immediate synergy with Nohamba. Not just an attacking threat, he grew in the tactical kicking department, demonstrating improved accuracy with his box kicks and getting good distance with his exit kicks.

8: Cameron Hanekom (Bulls)

The new kid on the block was a revelation in his rookie season, kicking the doors down to make the Bulls No. 8 jersey his own, a fantastic feat considering the Pretoria side’s world-class back row depth. An all-pitch prodigy, the 22-year-old showcased explosive ball-carrying and exceptional offloading ability, while he was a destroyer on defence and a powerhouse pilferer at the breakdown. Excellent all season, he upped his game another notch with a monstrous Man of the Match performance in the 25-20 semi-final win over Leinster. 

7: Elrigh Louw (Bulls)

Louw delivered blunt-force trauma on both sides of the ball all season long. Durable and dominant, he brought the pain week in and week out, winning collision after collision to give the Bulls the edge in the gain line battle. At the same time, “The Sherriff” showed he has brains and brawn with intelligent plays and controlled aggression and evolved by adding an extra layer to his game as a terror in the trams.  

6: JC Pretorius (Lions)

Comparisons to former Lions star and fellow ex-Blitzbok Kwagga Smith grew louder with each passing week as Pretorius sunk his teeth into the opposition and the ball wherever he went. A scavenger supreme, the all-action fetcher was the South African turnover king and finished third overall with 17 steals while his mongrel and ball skills helped him secure multiple Man of the Match awards.

5: Ruben van Heerden (Stormers)

Simply put, no player worked harder than the reinvigorated and relentless Van Heerden, both on the field and on improving his game. A double tough and consistent colossus, he played in all 19 of the Stormers’ games and tops the tackles stats with a whopping 239 and a 97% success rate, while he also established himself as a lineout general. For his rapid evolution and unrivalled grafting, one can’t help but feel for him that he missed out on Springbok selection.

4: Salmaan Moerat (Stormers)

Moerat continued to mature both as a top-class player and a leader. The 26-year-old captained the Stormers with aplomb and formed a good second-row partnership with Van Heerden, bringing physicality and mongrel to the mix. Intelligent, athletic and hard-working as well, he was a safe pair of hands in the lineout and put the opposition under pressure in the set piece.

3: Wilco Louw (Bulls)

A game-changing signing for the Bulls, Louw was an avalanche that kept growing as the season went on and decimated everything in his way. A true Bull-dozer, the 138kg powerhouse’s hunger for more Test rugby drove him to destruction at scrum time, with his monster-class against Leinster in the epic semi-final sticking out as his finest show of force. He also showed his impressive mobility and motor by making a team-high 17 tackles in the final.

2: Akker van der Merwe (Bulls)

After four seasons at the Sale Sharks, Van der Merwe enjoyed a dream return to South African rugby in an all-action season that saw him finish second on the try-scoring list behind the Glasgow Warriors’ Johnny Matthews (14) with 12 five-pointers. Sharing the hooker duties with Johan Grobbelaar, no one made a greater minute-for-minute impact than “The Angry Warthog”.

1: Ox Nche (Sharks)

The man who brought us the iconic line “Salads don’t win scrums” feasted on opposition front rows throughout the Durbanites’ disappointing campaign. His explosive power at scrum time is truly extraordinary and saw him smash back many a behemoth at the rate of knots. He was good in general play as well and grabbed himself two tries. Props rarely get the recognition they deserve but Nche received his as he finished at No. 1 on the URC Top 100 list.