Willemse helps Stormers break Munster hoodoo

Damian Willemse kicked 14 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.