Stormers Maul Bulls Into Submission At Loftus

The DHL Stormers got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion in front of an electric crowd at Loftus Versfeld, which saw them run in four tries and come out victorious 32-19 in one of the biggest fixtures in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. 

Just before kick-off, Embrose Papier was ruled out and was replaced by Paul de Wet, while Zac Burger moved to the bench for the Bulls. 

Under overcast conditions and with 20 minutes before kick-off, the heavens opened up, and rain presented itself, causing some slippery conditions as it became wet underfoot – but this changed at kickoff when the sun presented itself as the clouds dispersed.

The Stormers looked like a different outfit to the one that had lost three derbies in a row as the return of Damian Willemse, Ruhan Nel, and Deon Fourie added some much-needed experience and leadership, missing in previous encounters. 

The majority of the first half was epitomised by mistakes in attack when momentum was at a point where the attacking team was on the verge of scoring. This was until the Stormers took control and never looked back. 

The opening twenty minutes saw a battle of attrition as both sides attempted to land stiff blows and make inroads on the scoreboard, with neither able to deliver the hammer blow. 

The Stormers had luck on their side early on, as a third-minute Kurt-Lee Arendse try was ruled out due to a knock-on by Paul de Wet in the build-up. 

The Bulls dominated early proceedings in the scrum as the Stormers struggled with their stability on their own feed, but as the half went on, not only did the Stormers’ scrum get stronger, they also began dominating matters on the field of play. 

In the 12th minute, it was the turn of the Stormers to have a try disallowed as some slick and quick hands among the backline saw Sulaiman Hartzenberg dot down impressively in the corner only to have it ruled for a toe touching the touchline. 

The Stormers’ lack of discipline in prior weeks came back to haunt them as Adre Smith was shown a yellow card for a late tackle on Handre Pollard in the 15th minute. 

From the subsequent penalty to touch and the resulting maul, the Stormers displayed superb defensive shape as they won an infringement on their defensive maul. 

The scoring opened in the 20th minute as the Bulls were awarded a penalty try after Ben-Jason Dixon collapsed the strong Bulls maul and was sent to the sin-bin for his troubles – leaving the Stormers to play with 13 men. 

The Stormers had an opportunity to disturb the scoreboard, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu pulled his penalty attempt horribly wide to keep the Bulls in the lead after 25 minutes.

It was at this point that the Stormers enjoyed a period of dominance as they put the Bulls firmly on the back foot. 

The 30th minute saw the Stormers finally get off the mark, threatening to trouble the scoreboard previously when Leolin Zas made some good yards into the Bulls’ red zone before Stefan Ungerer threw a sharp pass, met by Damian Willemse, who ran a beautiful line and dotted down under the poles.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted the conversion to level the scoring at 7-all. 

As the hooter went, Feinberg-Mngomezulu struck a wonderful penalty from 35 metres out to give the Cape Town side the lead going into half-time.

HALF-TIME: VODACOM BULLS 7-10 DHL STORMERS

The Stormers began the second half much as they ended the first. After several phases and driving mauls inside the Bulls’ 22, they were awarded a penalty, which Feinberg-Mngomezulu calmly slotted to give the Cape side a 13–7 lead.

The Stormers were moving through the gears and clearly enjoying their rugby, with their dominance evident as the Bulls were repeatedly forced into conceding penalties.

In the 57th minute, after opting for touch, the Stormers forward pack was too much to deal with as Paul de Villiers barged over for a wonderful and deserved try.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed the conversion as the Stormers increased the lead to eleven points, 18-7.

The Bulls were dealt a further blow in the 64th minute as Cobus Wiese was adjudged to have struck a Stormers player with an open hand in the face and was given his marching orders to the sin-bin.

A minute later, the Bulls’ ability to soak up pressure was once again brought into question as the unstoppable Stormers’ maul continued to cause damage, with referee Marius Van Der Westhuizen having no choice but to award a penalty try. 

Just as it looked as if the game was dead and buried, Zac Burger scored a sensational try for the Bulls after some incredible skills and offloads, which saw Canan Moodie tap the ball to the try scorer.

The game was heading into a frenzy, and with the Bulls sniffing at a chance to mount a fightback, it was the returning Hacjivah Dayimani who put on the burners and ran onto a Damian Willemse grubber to dot down.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras to extend the lead to 32-14.

Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse scored a try in the final minute, but the result was already sealed as the Stormers finally picked up a key derby victory on the road to end a torturous three-game losing streak.