Written by Shihaam IsaacsSouth Africa sports betting writer
Published 25 October 2026
The DHL Stormers secured a pulsating 52-40 bonus-point victory over Welsh challengers Scarlets at DHL Stadium on Saturday, 24 October 2026, surviving a spirited second-half comeback in an encounter that produced 14 tries.
The Cape side dominated the opening exchanges, running in five first-half tries through Zachary Porthen, Haashim Pead, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Seabelo Senatla and veteran forward Deon Fourie. Despite tries from Joe Roberts and Ioan Jones for the visitors, the hosts carried a commanding 33-14 advantage into the break.
Scarlets mounted a fierce fightback early in the second half. A try from Macs Page, followed by an interception score from Roberts, narrowed the margin before Stormers replacement Olly Reid crossed to push the score to 40-28. The Welsh region continued to press, with Josh Macleod scoring and Roberts completing his hat-trick to level the contest at 40-40.
The hosts also faced forward adversity when injuries to André-Hugo Venter and Deon Fourie, and the loss of Lukhanyo Vokozela to a head injury assessment, resulted in uncontested scrums after they ran out of specialist hookers.
However, replacement back Yaqeen Ahmed settled the match with two clinical late tries, ensuring the Stormers finished with eight tries to the visitors’ six and maintained their unbeaten record against the Scarlets.
The victory consolidates the Stormers’ early momentum in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship ahead of their upcoming fixtures, while Scarlets head north to Pretoria to face the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld next weekend.
