Damian Willemse of the Stormers during the United Rugby Championship match between DHL Stormers and Munster at DHL Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images.
Damian Willemse kicked 12 points, including a late drop goal, as the DHL Stormers claimed a first win over Munster in their first home game of the season on Saturday.
A deadeye performance off the kicking tee from Willemse and a brace from Ruhan Nel saw the Stormers claim a 34-19 bonus-point victory over Munster in the first game of the 2024-25 season in Cape Town.
With the win, the Stormers snapped a four-loss slump against Munster, champions in 2022-23, avenging the defeat suffered in that final while also bouncing back from a tour-ending loss to Edinburgh in round 4.
First-half tries from Suleiman Hartzenberg – an 80-metre intercept – and Marcel Theunissen saw the Stormers go into half time with a 14-12 lead.
Nel got the second half off to a flying start by scoring in the corner from an excellently worked move, but Gavin Coombes’ try for Munster set up a tense finale, with just two points separating the teams.
Willemse held his nerve to slot a penalty and then a drop goal, before Nel intercepted a pass with the game clock in the red to seal the victory and the bonus point.
The Stormers will next host Glasgow Warriors in Stellenbosch, after the defending champions suffered a narrow loss to the Sharks in Durban.
This article was first published on sarugby.co.za. It is republished here with permission.
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