If you were watching the Stormers in their opening two United Rugby Championship matches of the season, you might have found yourself asking the same question the rest of the rugby world is asking right now: who on earth is Vernon Matongo?
Two games. Two dominant scrummaging displays. Two world class Northern Hemisphere packs sent backwards with alarming regularity. It’s not hyperbole to say that the Stormers’ loosehead has been the single most talked-about new forward in South African rugby this month.
Against Leinster in Round 1, the Stormers produced a 35-0 shutout that bordered on the ridiculous. It was a game that saw their tight five humiliate Leinster’s celebrated pack, and at the heart of that dominance was a 23-year-old loosehead making just his second senior start. Vernon Matongo didn’t just hold his own against a seasoned tighthead like Rabah Slimani – he bullied him. The Cape Town crowd roared as the Stormers won scrum penalty after scrum penalty, and suddenly, the men in blue were marching upfield off the back of a platform usually reserved for the Irish.
Then came Round 2, against the Ospreys. Different opponent, same result. The Welsh visitors held out gamely for 50 minutes, but the moment the Stormers’ scrum got a sniff, it was over. Matongo’s hit was brutal. His follow-through was relentless. He anchored his side of the scrum with the sort of confidence that you’d normally expect from a 50-cap Bok veteran, not a kid still trying to secure a regular starting jersey. Once again, penalties flowed. Once again, the Stormers backs dined out on front-foot ball. And once again, analysts were left double-checking their team sheets to make sure this wasn’t some elaborate Kitshoff comeback prank.
The Rise of a New Loosehead
Vernon Matongo’s journey hasn’t exactly been headline material – until now. Born and raised in Harare (Zimbabwe), he came through the Stormers’ junior structures quietly but steadily. Those who watched age-group rugby closely will remember his name from Craven Week (KwaZulu-Natal), Varsity Cup (Maties) and SA U20 trials, where he was noted for his low body position, explosive leg drive, and calm temperament in the set piece.
He spent last season bouncing between the Currie Cup and the Stormers wider squad, learning from the likes of Brok Harris and Neethling Fouché. But this season, with Steven Kitshoff retired from professional rugby and the loosehead depth chart looking thin, opportunity came knocking – and Matongo has kicked the door off its hinges.
Stormers head coach John Dobson has been quick to temper the hype, but even he couldn’t hide his grin, saying, “The scrum culture is so important. This time last year, we had guys like Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, and now we have Olly Reid, Zach Porthen and Vernon Matongo.”
“The culture of scrumming is remarkable, and we played without Tuks (Mchunu), Ali (Vermaak), Sazi (Sandi) and Franna (Malherbe).”
Scrum Destruction – The Real Deal
For context: Leinster don’t lose scrum battles. They’re technically sound, they’re drilled to the millimetre, and they pride themselves on neutralising South African packs. For a 23-year-old loosehead to manhandle them the way Matongo did isn’t just promising – it’s seismic.
The same goes for Ospreys, who traditionally produce tough, street-wise forwards schooled in the dark arts. Matongo didn’t just survive those tests; he dominated them. Two games in, and he’s already drawn five scrum penalties, conceded none, and the Stormers’ scrum has been operating at over 90% success.
The most striking thing about his work, though, is how clean and composed it is. He stays square. He doesn’t hinge. He doesn’t chase the hit like an overeager youngster. Instead, he absorbs pressure and then applies it back through the tighthead’s midsection like a hydraulic press. It’s old-school scrummaging, but with modern discipline.
Springbok Alignment Camp, Anyone?
With Kitshoff gone and Ox Nche the only nailed-on loosehead at Test level, there’s a vacancy in the Springbok succession plan. Wilco Louw is returning to Cape Town, yes – but he’s a tighthead. The Stormers need a loosehead anchor, and the Boks need the next man up.
Rassie Erasmus and Daan Human will have taken note. Human, in particular, has a knack for identifying scrummaging gems early (see: Frans Malherbe circa 2012). If Matongo continues this trajectory, a Springbok alignment camp invitation in early 2026 looks inevitable.
South Africa’s World Cup cycle is entering its reset phase. With Paris 2027 looming, this is exactly the kind of moment when new front-row talent gets blooded. You can’t fake scrum dominance. You either have it, or you don’t. And Matongo, by the looks of it, has it in spades.
The Cape Needs Him – and So Might the Boks
For the Stormers, this is manna from heaven. Kitshoff’s retirement left a gaping hole on the loosehead side. Dobson’s men rely heavily on set-piece superiority as the platform for their high-tempo game. If Matongo cements himself as the new cornerstone, it frees them to play their expansive rugby without worrying about being bullied up front.
For the Springboks, the emergence of another young loosehead is cause for quiet excitement. South Africa’s recent dominance has been built on depth and continuity in the front row. With Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, and Trevor Nyakane all nearing or past 30, the conveyor belt needs to keep moving. Matongo looks like he might just be the next carriage on that belt.
From Obscurity to Spotlight
Two weeks ago, most rugby fans couldn’t have picked Vernon Matongo out of a line-up. Today, his name is being whispered in selection meetings, highlighted on analyst clips, and discussed over pints in Cape Town pubs.
Whether this form holds over a long, bruising URC season remains to be seen. But for now, one thing is clear: South African rugby has a new loosehead wrecking ball on its hands, and the world has taken notice.
