Stormers vs Ulster: Ruhan Nel fitness check looms after defensive wobble

The Stormers will learn on Monday 26 October whether Ruhan Nel has a chance of facing Ulster on Saturday 31 October. Coach John Dobson named Monday as the day that would show where his captain stands, and after a leaky afternoon in defence, it is clear how much the Cape side want him back.

Nel is the Stormers' regular captain and runs their defence from outside centre. He missed Saturday's game against the Scarlets with the same injury that kept him out of the earlier Champions Cup match against Bristol Bears.

A win that exposed the defence

The Stormers beat the Scarlets 52-40 in the URC at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday 24 October, but the scoreline tells only part of the story. Defence was the problem all game. The Scarlets came back hard after half-time, and the Stormers had most trouble shutting them down out wide.

Wandisile Simelane wore the 13 jersey with Nel out, and Dobson took care not to blame him. His point about the defence, he said, was not that Simelane is bad, but that Nel leads so well in that channel.

"He’s a defensive champion," Dobson said of Nel. After the win he agreed it was crucial that Nel recovers in time for Ulster, though he played down any worry about who would lead the side. "We will see how he goes on Monday. I am not worried about the captaincy."

The afternoon brought other trouble too. Injuries forced the Stormers to go to their bench early, and the scrums were uncontested once both hookers had been ruled out, as covered in our report on the Stormers hooker injuries.

Ahmed handed the 10 jersey

There will be a change at flyhalf whatever happens with Nel.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is expected to sit out this week, with the away leg of the Nations Championship getting under way the week after. The young Yaqeen Ahmed takes over at 10, having come on as a replacement against the Scarlets and scored two tries late in the game.

Ulster up next

Ulster stayed in the fight for much of their weekend game against the Bulls at Loftus, a match the bookmakers had expected the Bulls to win by a big margin.

The two sides have a history of memorable meetings, the semifinal between them in 2022 among them. Whether Nel is back to organise the Stormers' defence for the next one depends on how he comes through Monday.