Stormers back ‘Project 2029’ as young guns shine in dominant victory over Glasgow Warriors

The Stormers coaches showed real steely resolve in selecting young players to front up against the Glasgow Warriors in a must-win United Rugby Championship (URC) clash this past weekend.

And they are not about to retreat into their shells when the Cape side heads into the play-offs next month. They will continue to utilise their younger generation, not only to help them win in the URC but also to build towards their Project 2029 goal.

In what was a crucial game that the Stormers won 48-12 to go top of the URC log, scrumhalf Imad Khan (22) and 18-year-old centre Markus Muller came on against the Warriors and maintained the standard set by veterans Cobus Reinach and Dan du Plessis.

Khan controlled the game brilliantly during a period when Glasgow looked to fight back after Reinach left the field with a serious injury. His sharp play behind the breakdown and eagerness on defence stood out.

He will be crucial over the next couple of weeks to the Stormers’ cause after Reinach injured his knee. The Springbok stalwart is set to be out for a significant time and is set to miss the knockouts.

While Muller did not have many opportunities on attack, he impressed with his tackling against seasoned Scottish internationals such as Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu. The Stormers would’ve loved to see more of him on the attack; the promise he showed bodes well for the future.

Fetcher Paul de Villiers (23) started ahead of Deon Fourie and played an important role at the breakdown. Fourie stood himself down after the coaches opted to use him as a back-up hooker, allowing JJ Kotze to take the bench spot in the No 16 jersey.

Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said they want to continue growing their project, and that it will only succeed if they back the talent coming through.

“It’s so important for us to show that there is this pathway from our school system through. So it’s a good feel-good story,” he said on Muller’s debut.

“We must speak to Project 2029. I just really, really want people to know what we’re trying to do here, which is show this region: keep our players here, and then we have to give them the opportunities.

“That noise (when Muller took the field) ... that makes me proud of the crowd because that shows they're informed and they're enthusiastic and it was brilliant, wasn't it?

"He didn’t have much ball in hand, but his defence was really, really good. He stayed alive; his double-D (double tackles) was good. He’s the happiest kid in the world and that is important for our Project 2029."