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Stormers v All Blacks: Winners and losers as Springbok hero ‘puts injury hell behind him’ while Dave Rennie left ‘frustrated’ by key area Deon Fourie (left) was among the key winners in a gripping contest in Cape Town Following the All Blacks’ 38-21 win over the Stormers in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series opener in Cape Town, here are our winners and losers. Winners Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry If this is the trend-setter for the rest of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, then boy oh boy are we in for a fun few weeks. This game got the tour off with a bang, with it a genuine contest across the 80 minutes. It could have been so easy for the two sides to roll out massively rotated squads, some might even say B-teams, but they both went pretty strong, and that led to a great spectacle. Will the rugby get better across the next few weeks? Of course it will, but this was a really strong start to what should be a really great few weeks of rugby. Yaqeen Ahmed Yet another Springbok prodigy emerges, with Yaqeen Ahmed enjoying a fine Stormers debut. He just oozed confidence in pretty much every aspect of his game tonight, which ultimately got his side playing some delicious rugby. His clever kicking game caused all sorts of havoc within the All Blacks defence and consistently got his side behind the defensive line, but that was backed up with some lovely attacking flashes too. The biggest compliment we can pay him is the fact he didn’t look out of place at this level. When you’re playing against the All Blacks and a man with as much experience as Beauden Barrett, that is some doing. Ahmed is a real talent, and we should watch this space. Deon Fourie He put his injury hell behind him tonight with an outright blockbuster. From the get-go just looked to get himself involved in the game wherever possible, working tirelessly in the tight and really taking the fight to the All Blacks along the way. His efforts also saw him bag a try, which would have left anyone watching with a beaming smile, and his departure was met by a much-deserved standing ovation. Fourie has not had a smooth ride in recent years, playing just 16 matches in the past two seasons, but tonight was a real reminder of just how good he is when fit. Really, really pleasing to see him back in the mix. Stormers set-piece Right across the set-piece, it seemed the Stormers had the upper hand. The tone was set pretty early at scrum-time with two penalties, and it seemed the Stormers had a pretty good day of it after that with both front-row units enjoying the better of the scrum battle. The maul also quickly became a major weapon as the game went on, and even bagged the Stormers a try for good measure, while the lineout went well for much of the game. You always knew this would be a way for the Stormers to really challenge the All Blacks; after all, it was a major part of their run to the URC semi-finals last season, but it arguably proved even more effective than they would have dreamed. Anton Segner Thrown into the run-on side late in the day for Wallace Sititi, and was one of the All Blacks’ best players throughout the 80 minutes. It wasn’t that he did any highlight-reel stuff or came up with some moments of genuine magic, but he was just a real rock of consistency. Whenever the All Blacks needed a carrier to get them back over the gain line, Segner was there. Whenever they needed someone to make a crucial tackle, Segner was there. Whenever they needed someone to just nause the breakdown and make themselves a real nuisance, Segner was there. He left the field bloodied and bruised as well, which only reflected the hard graft he put in. You feel he’s put himself into a very strong position looking towards the rest of the tour and potentially the Tests as well. Leroy Carter Lots to like about Leroy Carter’s performance tonight, with the winger another to really make a case for the Test series in the process. Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust. Things always seemed to happen around him whenever he touched the ball, making positive effort after positive effort when his side needed it most. He also just seemed to be a genuine all-round threat ball-in-hand, popping up in heavy traffic and getting good change while also using his speed to good effect in space. His late try was just reward for his efforts, and leaves him in a very good light looking towards the rest of the tour. Fabian Holland Wow, what a return to rugby from the lock forward, who did not look like he’d missed the entirety of the 2026 season to date. Whenever his team needed a bit of grit and steel in the tight, he was on hand to come up with a big play or just give them that extra boost to turn momentum back towards them. His workrate was arguably one of the defining factors in keeping the Stormers at arm’s length, which ultimately allowed them to pull away late on after he had been replaced. Again, considering he has missed the entirety of the season so far, let alone missed every All Blacks Test, this was some doing, and he looks right in the picture for the Springboks games. Losers Stormers scrum-halves Not a great night for the Stormers scrum-half unit, with Imad Khan picking up a freak non-contact injury after just five minutes and Dewaldt Duvenage withdrawing hurt in the second-half as well. Hopefully both of the injuries are not as bad as they first appear. Stormers player ratings: Veteran Springboks star ‘the shining light’ in All Blacks defeat Billy Proctor Another back to come off with an injury was All Blacks centre Billy Proctor, who was withdrawn with an apparent arm issue in the second-half. Again, we hope this is not as serious as it looked. Beauden Barrett This was a major opportunity for him to nail his flag to the mast at fly-half and make himself the number one contender to start the Test series, but he didn’t take it. There were flashes of quality in there, granted, but flashes are not what we expect of the usually classy back. Crucially, he seemed to be the main target for the Stormers’ aerial game, with Ahmed pinning pretty much every one of his deadly kicks right on his head, and it paid off in bucketfuls for the Cape Town side. He will likely have another run of it at fly-half later on in the tour, but this was a great opportunity for him to make that shirt his own looking towards the upcoming Test series. All Blacks discipline This would have undoubtedly left Dave Rennie incredibly frustrated, with discipline issues rife across the All Blacks’ performance. The yellow cards will take much of the headlines in this department, with Anton Lienert-Brown, Simon Parker and Josh Moorby being sent for 10-minute stints on the naughty step, but it was also just little penalties here and there that cost them. These infringements, often conceded in strings, just gifted the Stormers an easy-out when the All Blacks seemed to have the upper hand. Their first try was essentially the result of back-to-back penalties when Rennie’s side were in striking position. That was a tale reflected right across the 80 minutes with a tally of 16 penalties conceded. Simply put, they cannot afford to carry this on for the rest of the tour and especially not in the Test series against the Springboks. They need to fix this up, and quickly. New Zealand props The front-row potentially feels like one of the more open spots within the All Blacks side right now, but aside from George Bower, nobody really grabbed their chance today. Pasilio Tosi, Siale Lauaki and Ollie Norris were firmly second-best in their scrum battle with a Stormers unit out to prove a point. Penalties soon followed, too, with a number conceded right across the 80. While the Stormers deserve a lot of credit for the way they took the fight to their opposition in this department, going for the jugular whenever possible and scrummaging with a genuine attacking intent, this should worry the All Blacks boss looking towards the Test series. The Springboks might have added a lick of flair to their game, but the scrum continues to be the cornerstone of their system. It’s arguably built off the back of it. Then, add in the fact they have three genuine world-class options in both prop positions and you have a scrum that will be one of the defining factors of the series. A good chance has been missed here, you feel.