SA United Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament 

Stormers stars dominate our South African United Rugby Championship Team of the Tournament, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld. 

John Dobson’s men thrilled but fell agonisingly short of claiming back-to-back championships, succumbing 19-14 to Munster in Saturday’s final in the Mother City.

The Cape franchise provide the nucleus of our side with seven representatives, including the Player of the Tournament. 

Quarter-finalists the Bulls and the Sharks have three representatives a piece, while a pair of Lions cracked the nod.

15: Damian Willemse (Stormers)

A class act whose complete skillset made him a three-pronged pillar for the Stormers. The versatile virtuoso played most of his rugby at fullback but covered centre and flyhalf as he’s known to do and did so seamlessly. A coach’s dream, he also continued to mature in the leadership department. 

14: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls)

Whether at fullback or on the wing, Arendse continued to soar. An electrifying spitfire, his exhilarating attacking exploits were matched by fearless and dependable defence, along with amazing aerial artistry for a player on the smaller side of the spectrum.  

13: Ruhan Nel (Stormers)

Solid as a rock. That sums up what Nel meant to the Stormers this season. There was nothing flashy from the former Blitzbok but, then, that wasn’t in his job description. He was ultra-consistent, a player Dobson knew he could depend on to deliver, and formed a yin/yang partnership with…

12: Dan du Plessis (Stormers) – Player of the Tournament

As intelligent as he is skillful, Du Plessis enjoyed a breakout season in which he used both his brains and brawn to make an impact. Refreshingly for a South African No 12, he played what was in front of him rather than crash the ball up the middle time and time again and played a significant role in helping the Stormers backline fire.

11: Edwill van der Merwe (Lions)

A rough diamond that shone bright, Van der Merwe was a lethal weapon for the Lions. Always threatening, he lit up fields across South Africa and Europe with his lightning quickness and fancy feet and signed off on a high, scoring a brace and running for 124 metres in the Johannesburg side’s season-ending 50-35 win over Zebre.  

10: Manie Libbok (Stormers)

While he couldn’t quite mirror the magic of his career-changing 2021-22 season, the mercurial Libbok was still the best South African flyhalf on show by a country mile. His fundamentals were as good as any other pivot’s while his flair was unmatched, a combination that saw him guide the Stormers to another final in style, finish as the top point scorer with 217 and earn the Fans’ Player of the Year award.

9: Grant Williams (Sharks)

The Sharks scrumhalf was a lightning rod of attacking excellence, the ultimate opportunist who made a habit of flying through gaps like an arrow out of a crossbow. Arguably the fastest No 9 in the game today, with hot-stepping attributes maxed out, he racked up 10 tries – the most by a South African player – to firmly put himself in the Springbok World Cup squad conversation. 

8: Francke Horn (Lions)

In a country full of big-name back-rowers, Horn is an unheralded, unassuming character but man, was he phenomenal for the Lions. A workhorse who’s deceptively athletic, he’s an anomaly, damn-near mythical with his knack for conjuring up magical moments. He’s the Chuck Norris of the Lions, and he kicked ass all campaign. 

7: Hacjivah Dayimani (Stormers)

A pure baller, Dayimani’s the perfect loose forward for the Stormers’ dazzling style. Shades of Bobby Skinstad, he was a dynamic link between the forwards and backs, offering added flair and featuring in many of the Capetonians’ top tries with his brilliant ball skills and athleticism. 

6: Deon Fourie (Stormers)

The man Father Time forgot. At 36, the evergreen enigma didn’t skip a beat as he outworked, out-willed and outfoxed his much younger and faster counterparts. The former hooker’s late-career reinvention into a fetcher continued to amaze as he latched onto the ball as if pulled by a magnet and went full blood, sweat and tears for the Capetonians’ cause.  

5: Ruan Nortje (Bulls)

Reliable and ultra-industrious, Nortje delivered the goods on a weekly basis. His shot-calling and contesting in the lineout were a vital part of the Bulls’ success while he fired up the engine room with his tireless work rate, which was more that of a loose forward than of a lock. 

4: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks)

The Springbok enforcer first and foremost brought a hard edge to the Sharks. His controlled physicality elevated the star-studded tight five to an even higher level, a punishing plane where the second-row savage served as judge, jury and executioner. He also showcased his underrated high rugby IQ and rebounded box kicks like LeBron James collects bricks in the NBA. For what it’s worth, he finished as the highest-placed South African on the URC Top 100 in eighth place. 

3: Thomas du Toit (Sharks)

A gargantuan who kept on giving, Du Toit was titanic in all departments. “The Tank” took names in the scrum, both at tighthead and loosehead, captained the Sharks on occasions, trucked up the ball in the tight loose, had some slick touches – especially swivel balls – and got through heaps of work on defence. He’ll be sorely missed by the Durban side.

2: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)

“Mr Consistency.” The Bulls hooker’s insatiable hunger to don the green and gold was evident in his stellar all-around showings week in and week out. Clinical in the set pieces and omnipresent in open play, he was on the money and popped up everywhere with his red scrum cap. 

1: Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)

“Spicy Plum” was worth his considerable weight in gold to the Stormers in his final season at the Cape franchise. A complete colossus, he set the standard for his teammates to follow on and off the pitch, owned opponents at scrum time and pilfered balls like a grizzly bear. It’s a real pity he was denied the perfect send-off. 

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.