34 - 19

'Incredible moment' - Will Skelton lauded over incident against Stormers

345 days ago

Will Skelton protects Salman Moerat Credit; Flo Rugby

Towering La Rochelle second row Will Skelton demonstrated remarkable sportsmanship in his side’s tense Investec Champions Cup victory over the DHL Stormers in Cape Town this afternoon.

For the Stormers, the game was marred by injuries, depleting their personnel and leaving them without substitutions towards the end of the game.

A collision involving Moerat and Skelton in the 59th minute certainly caught the eye.

In a wholesome moment amidst the brutality of the make-or-break European knockout game, the Wallaby giant’s quick thinking prevented further injury to Stormers’ captain – Salmaan Moerat – who had attempted to tackle Skelton.

Stormers assistant coach Norman Laker on team’s previous encounter with La Rochelle

Video Player is loading.

Current Time 0:00

Duration 0:41

Loaded: 0%

Stream Type LIVE

Remaining Time 0:41

Stormers assistant coach Norman Laker on team’s previous encounter with La Rochelle

The reunions will continue for the Stormers this weekend when they welcome Stade Rochelais to Cape Town Stadium for their Champions Cup Round of 16 match on Saturday.

Moerat suffered a heavy blow to the head and crumpled to the floor. Skelton – showing exceptional awareness – shielded Moerat from additional impact while signalling for medical assistance.

Fortunately, thanks to Skelton’s immediate response to the Stormers’ lock was able to make a speedy exit from the field for a head injury assessment (HIA).

An incredible moment of sportsmanship from @staderochelais star Will Skelton to protect his opponent.#InvestecChampionsCup #STOvSR #STOvLAR pic.twitter.com/Ch0Rlw12sm
— FloRugby (@FloRugby) April 6, 2024

This act of concern and sportsmanship was a highlight in the game, showcasing Skelton’s character on the field.

Standing at 6’8 and weighing 150kg, Skelton has been a key player for La Rochelle, contributing significantly to their dominance in European club rugby over the last two seasons.

His physicality and skill have been central to La Rochelle’s victories over Leinster in consecutive finals. The match against the Stormers was crucial, with La Rochelle overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit to lead 17 – 16 with time winding down. The win now sets up a potential rematch with Leinster, should the Irish province beat Leicester Tigers in Dublin tonight.

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Comments

3 Comments

Ace 342 days ago

That’s rugby. Try to kill each other when the game is on, but total respect and support when the occasion calls for it. And when the final whistle blows, the war is over.

The greatest game on the planet.

Grant 344 days ago

Love this

Wern 345 days ago

Nice guy great player.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Latest Features

LONG READ

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Steve Borthwick's deluge of back-rowers and clever use of the bench points the way forward for teams who cannot deploy a bruising 7:1 split.

LONG READ

Underpants, duvet covers and Louis Bielle-Biarrey

LBB as he's known in France is a superstar-in-waiting and his genius will help those longing for the return of Antoine Dupont bearable

LONG READ

Mick Cleary: 'England are back among the heavyweights.'

Steve Borthwick's men were much maligned at the start of the Six Nations but their renaissance is gathering momentum

Comments on RugbyPass

Desmond Davidson 4 minutes ago

Lion among 2 Wales stars ruled out of England clash with injuries

In Dec, 2021, I invested the sum of 19.78 BTC with a fake blockchain impostor I met online, all the money I had saved up since 2014 got stolen just within a Month, my whole life almost crumbled, to crown it all my FICO score was so bad that I couldn't even afford securing a loan to help my kids, but everything became better after I joined a forum online where I met people testifying about, a hacker who has been helping thousands of people all over the world. I decided to reach out to him via the following contact shared on the platform // jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com or WhatsApp +31622647750., they responded and requested for all necessary information needed to aid my JOB, to my greatest surprise my bitcoin was recovered and my credit report fixed, FICO score was boosted to 783 across all 3-credit bureau's, all negative items cleared just within 8 days. I can't stop expressing my profound gratitude to this great team of hackers, I strongly recommend them to anyone in need.jamesmckaywizard at gmail dot com or WhatsApp +31657446248..

0 Go to comments

BP 4 minutes ago

Mick Cleary: 'England are back among the heavyweights.'

Don’t bother with him mate…….always thinks he knows better.

9 Go to comments

Tom 16 minutes ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

I don't think you can neglect the fact that England really should have lost both Scotland and France games. 99 times out of 100 France aren't dropping the ball over the line 3 or 4 times, that was a freakish run of good fortune. They played well in the second half against France and deserve a lot of credit for hanging in there but if we're judging their performances - they were very good in one half against France and quite poor for the whole Scotland game. The forwards were very impressive throughout the whole campaign but England need to find their attacking identity. If the Wales match was the blueprint sobeit but we need to see them own that performance and for it not to be a blip like last year's Ireland performance.

5 Go to comments

Tom 21 minutes ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

An A is pushing it for England. I was pleasantly surprised by the Wales performance but the rest of the matches we were just OK. We did well to hang in there against France and Scotland but could/should have lost both games. You've given England an A but let's be brutally honest, if Fin Russell gets that last kick, you wouldn't be giving England an A. Our forwards deserved an A for the whole tournament. The backs and the attack in general struggled to find their feet for most of the tournament and our defense was iffy at times. Some fantastic work from a group of forwards who are turning into one of the best packs in the world but overall an identity and attacking shape was really lacking for most of the tournament and as well as England played, there will be tougher tests than Wales to judge them on.

5 Go to comments

The Late News 49 minutes ago

How Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks are winning rugby's secret information war

Cheers mate.

71 Go to comments

RedWarriors 50 minutes ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

France were under pressure all through that match. England played well enough to bring it down to a tight encounter and their plan for a late try worked. No referees for France to blame this time either.

5 Go to comments

MichaelT4 1 hour ago

Mick Cleary: 'England are back among the heavyweights.'

In fairness to Borthwick he has done a good job of blooding youngsters already himself in matches against the top tier teams. Fin Baxter starting against New Zealand last summer, Cunningham-South too. Fin Smith this year. The squad depth is impressive when you also consider Furbank, Underhill, IFW and George Martin can come back in.

If, and its a big if, Borthwicks plan is to create 30 odd test players then he is going about it quite well. Fingers crossed.

9 Go to comments

ZamaZama 1 hour ago

Easterby hits back at France's conduct in the wake of Dupont injury

Once again the whining schoolboy wants to tell everyone how to behave. What a 💩

17 Go to comments

RedWarriors 1 hour ago

Easterby hits back at France's conduct in the wake of Dupont injury

He publicly demanded that the Irish players should be cited and declared their actions reprehensible. The obvious implication is that the referee has made grave errors and that the ‘culprits’ and ‘butchers’ of Dupont were not reprimanded. Of course he publicly stated that he didn’t blame the referee. Ofcourse his meaning was clear and the evidence is collective rage by the French public against the referee. This is dishonest and cowardice by Galthie. The two Irish players he attacked then received threats to their safety by French ‘supporters’.

We know that France have more suspensions for dangerous tackles than all other six nations combined under Galthie.

We know that he publicly lied about the ‘injustice’ of the Ntamack v Ringrose bans. He knew the difference, he acknowledged it in his evidence for Ntamack and he knew that French players had benefitted more than any others over both cases in previous years.

The last thing rugby needs is trial by media by mini Trumps who are only interested in cheating for their own country and disguising their own short comings.

17 Go to comments

MichaelT4 1 hour ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

I definitely watched the game - England did stun them by winning, no one expected that. Not Englands fault that France dropped the ball - figuratively and literally - and it was England who then outscored them and out scrummed them and battered their big forwards back several times. England arent given enough credit for that win. Game of the tournament. Ireland v France wasnt a game by the second half, it was one-way.

For the Scotland game they were lucky Russell missed his kicks, but Scotland should have had a red card for the head contact from the winger on Chessum. No arms, jumped up and first contact was with the head. Evens out on the luck front.

Not sure England deserve an A that this article gives them, should be reserved for the winner, but they won their games by scoring more points. If another team had the same tournament as England, they would be lauded for their character and grit.

5 Go to comments

JB 2 hours ago

Six Nations report card: Each team graded from A to F

Re England … “they stunned France …”

Really? Were we watching the same game? France left at least 3 tries begging, none of which were due to England’s defense - they should have been out of sight by half time.

For me, it was more France losing the game than England winning it.

France were stunned, yes, but by themselves

5 Go to comments

Jahmirwayle 2 hours ago

Crusaders rookie earns 'other than Dupont' praise from All Blacks star

It started with a gut-wrenching realization. I’d been duped. Months earlier, I’d poured $133,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity a cryptocurrency investment platform promising astronomical returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowed, and the numbers in my account dashboard climbed steadily. I’d watched my Bitcoin grow, or so I thought, until the day I tried to withdraw it. That’s when the excuses began: “Processing delays,” “Additional verification required,” and finally, a demand for a hefty “release fee.” Then, silence. The platform vanished overnight, taking my money with it. I was left staring at a blank screen, my savings gone, and a bitter taste of shame in my mouth.I didn’t know where to turn. The police shrugged cybercrime was a black hole they couldn’t navigate. Friends offered sympathy but no solutions. I spent sleepless nights scouring forums, reading about others who’d lost everything to similar scams. That’s when I stumbled across a thread mentioning a group specializing in crypto recovery. They didn’t promise miracles, but they had a reputation for results. Desperate, I reached out.The first contact was a breath of fresh air. I sent an email explaining my situation dates, transactions, screenshots, everything I could scrape together. Within hours, I got a reply. No fluff, no false hope, just a clear request for more details and a promise to assess my case. I hesitated, wary of another scam, but something about their professionalism nudged me forward. I handed over my evidence: the wallet addresses I’d sent my Bitcoin to, the emails from the fake platform, even the login credentials I’d used before the site disappeared.The process kicked off fast. They explained that scammers often move funds through a web of wallets to obscure their tracks, but Bitcoin’s blockchain leaves a trail if you know how to follow it. That’s where their expertise came in. They had tools and know-how I couldn’t dream of, tracing the flow of my coins across the network. I didn’t understand the technical jargon hash rates, mixing services, cold wallets but I didn’t need to. They kept me in the loop with updates: “We’ve identified the initial transfer,” “The funds split here,” “We’re narrowing down the endpoints.” Hours passed , and I oscillated between hope and dread. Then came the breakthrough. They’d pinpointed where my Bitcoin had landed a cluster of wallets tied to the scammers. Some of it had been cashed out, but a chunk remained intact, sitting in a digital vault the crooks thought was untouchable. I didn’t ask too many questions about that part; I just wanted results. They pressured the right points, leveraging the blockchain evidence to freeze the wallets holding my funds before the scammers could liquidate them. Next morning, I woke up to an email that made my heart skip. “We’ve secured access to a portion of your assets.” Not all of it some had slipped through the cracks but $133,000 worth of Bitcoin, my original investment, was recoverable. They walked me through the final steps: setting up a secure wallet, verifying the transfer, watching the coins land. When I saw the balance tick up on my screen, I sat there, stunned. It was real. My money was back.The ordeal wasn’t painless. I’d lost time, sleep, and a bit of faith in humanity. But the team at Alpha Spy Nest Recovery turned a nightmare into a second chance. I’ll never forget what they did. In a world full of thieves, they were the ones who fought to make things right. Contacts below: email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, WhatsApp: +14159714490‬, Telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest

8 Go to comments

TI 2 hours ago

Lions selection: 3 winners and losers from each country

Hugo Keenan played well in games where Ireland didn’t. I think he should be listed as a winner instead of Beirne, or Sheehan, who were always going to go.

2 Go to comments

Chelsey Kate 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

Hire Expert Certified Intelligence Cyber Wizard Assets Recovery Company for any job?

I was persuaded to buy cryptocurrency by someone I met online. They have access to a group of analysts who provide reliable predictions for the rise and fall of BTC. I initially attempted with a modest amount just to be sure, and I was successful in withdrawing money twice. This demonstrated a growth in the signals I was receiving. I decided to include corporate funds as well. When I tried to contact the individual at that point, he had banned all of his connections, which is when everything started to go wrong. I tried everything until a friend of mine introduced me to a hacker INTELLIGENCE CYBER WIZARD, a company that helps individuals and businesses recover their stolen BTC assets. They truly helped me to recover everything at an affordable fee and I was exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits. If you are in the same mess, To learn more about them kindly reach out to them with the details below:

E-mail: intelligencecyberwizard@gmail.com

Mail: intelligencecyberwizard@mai

l.com

36 Go to comments

fl 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

It will be interesting to see how developmental the summer squad is. Given how much consistency of selection there was throughout 2024 and the early part of 2025, I wonder if Borthwick’s suddenly erratic teamsheets were an attempt to build enough depth to play almost solely first team players against Argentina.

E.g. if Freeman and Furbank both go to Australia (which I think would be unlikely) England could still field a back three of Marcus Smith, Roebuck, and Feyi-Waboso, with Steward, Daly, Sleightholme, and Murley also in the squad. Similarly if both Curry brothers and Ben Earl all go (which I think would be similarly unlikely) England could still select Tom Willis, Underhill, and Cunningham-South in the back row. Hardly a developmental lineup! There would have to be newer and less experienced players brought in in the second row and at centre, but even here there could be starting partnerships of Martin & Coles and Dingwall & Daly.

I think there’s a good chance England’s progress will be built on directly in Argentina.

36 Go to comments

JD Kiwi 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

The big concern for me is that our 13 forwards are at a big disadvantage against their 15.

36 Go to comments

Otagoman II 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?

They had an average game against a Hurricanes side that was marginally better. They were poor protecting their ball and blew many promising attacking raids. Tangitau did his best to win the game by himself with a 85 metre intercept try and a a quick tap kick ahead that resulted in another. Highlanders scored no phase play tries. Joseph said that their attack was basically too conservative playing one out and that the support should of been better. They will need to do better with their attack this saturday as the Reds have plenty of points in them with quick ball.

36 Go to comments

fl 2 hours ago

Did innovative England emerge strongest from the Six Nations?