Five-try Habana sinks Stormers
22 Jan 2006
The Bully Boys weathered a spirited first half by an underpowered Stormers side to emerge 44-13 victors in a Super 14 crank-up at Newlands.
Many expected a spectacle of forward dominance and rampaging one-off runners. What they got was the new season’s premiere of the Bryan Habana show. And on today’s evidence, patrons should not expect the 2006 version to differ significantly from all they came to cherish last year.
The whole catalogue was here. A chargedown in the 30th minute, an outstanding hack ahead and gather in the 52nd, intercept in the 64th, opportunistic poach in the 70th and a classic finish in the 77th. If the Habana of Paris in late November exhibited all the characteristics of a jaded and distracted player, the Habana of Newlands in January showed all the benefits of rest and rejuvenation.
Despite the convincing nature of the scoreline, this was no 80 minute demolition. The home side only trailed 15-13 at the break, and were unlucky to do so. The Bulls edged ahead due to a score against the run of play by Jacques Cronje in the crucial period before halftime that scrumhalf Paul Delport will have replayed in his head at least 30 times by Monday morning.
Delport, architect of the Stormers’ opening (and as it turned out only) score by fullback Justin Peach seemed to let the exhilaration of a quite outstanding half hour affect his concentration. Scrambling back to collect a grubber behind his own goalline, Delport opted not to continue over the deadball line and attempted a suicidal clearance.
The inevitable chargedown and subsequent injury that forced him from the field a few minutes later were an ill-deserved conclusion to an inspired cameo.
On reflection it proved to be the turning point, as the fire that had propelled the Stormers pack to dominate in contact, compete at lineout time and maul effectively drained away. The failure to score a point in the second half is a testament to just how violently the spirit was sucked from their sails.
The battle of the backs saw the home side playing the more enterprising rugby, but were hamstrung by over-exuberance and crucial errors both on defence and attack. In particular, centre pairing Gus Theron and Piet van Zyl’s distribution was appalling. On three occasions in the first half, and a further two in the second, critical passes destined for wingers with time found the touchline.
Built on the back of a pack slowly suffocating the Cape side’s resistance, the Bulls backs battered their way into contention. The massive midfield of Dries Scholtz and JP Nel were used with repetitive glee to bash it up at close quarters, and their punishing runs eventually resulted in the advantage line being crossed with regularity. The almost patented Bulls one-off runners profited, and an entire last 40 defending on the back foot gave Stormers fans an eerie reminder of the last time these sides met in a competitive encounter.
Ultimately, coach Kobus van der Merwe’s positives – so evident at halftime – faded away with every minute of the second. Naas Olivier’s flawless goalkicking was a highlight, in contrast to the misfiring duo of Derick Hougaard and Morne Steyn, and lock Henk Eksteen, flanker Justin Melck and Peach did not disappoint.
Heyneke Meyer arrived in Cape Town on two missions: To continue the north’s domination over the south, and to return to Loftus without adding to his mounting injury list. He achieved both, with the clean bill of health provided by Bulls doctor Tommy Smook perhaps even more valuable than yet another 40-pointer against the old enemy.
SCORERS
Stormers
Try: Justin Peach
Con: Naas Olivier
Pens: Olivier 2
Bulls
Tries: Jacques Cronje, Bryan Habana 5 and Chilliboy Ralepelle
Cons: Derick Hougaard and Morne Steyn 2
Pen: Hougaard
29 Comments
22 Jan 2006, 18:58 pm
Looks like I’m first, Well blah blah blah Dragons and all that ****!!!
Cheetahs for the S14, sharkies for the drop!!!
22 Jan 2006, 18:59 pm
louw3 you *******, i thought i would get it.
22 Jan 2006, 19:00 pm
ha ha too slow ou vrou!!
22 Jan 2006, 19:17 pm
no way sharks will drop, bye bye cheetahs, one year of fun is all it will be.
22 Jan 2006, 19:33 pm
Glad the stormers got snotted.Again.
Just wish it was the Sharks that snotted them.
22 Jan 2006, 19:38 pm
Hey kners, not even campo is gonna save ya, fancy that, sharks that sink!!!
22 Jan 2006, 19:58 pm
Sharks will definitely drop.Not good enough to stay in s14
22 Jan 2006, 20:30 pm
we will see boys. sharks have one advantage over the cheetahs, experience. we have, been through many super 12′s, reached the finals a couple of times too.
i suppose we just need to wait and see, why cant the brumbies get relegated instead.
23 Jan 2006, 08:20 am
wtf is Gus still playing?
23 Jan 2006, 08:52 am
Ouch , did some of you guys went to watch this game. Any hope for the Stormers this year ?
23 Jan 2006, 09:15 am
Does anyone know why they didn’t broadcast any of the warm-up games?
23 Jan 2006, 09:20 am
andreWP
Dont stress bru, it was only a warm up. the stormers will do better than they did last yr…
Cheetahs shouldnt be too overconfident. CC champs means nothing when you havent played in the S12 b4…
I reckon they will struggle…
23 Jan 2006, 09:34 am
wpw,
As if SA teams didn’t battle enough with the travelling in the S12, the Cheetahs decided to play a warmup game in…wait for it… Australia.
23 Jan 2006, 09:39 am
Heard the Cheetahs played very well though! But the Force didnt play a full strengh side,
23 Jan 2006, 10:07 am
wpw
Yes it’s just a warmup game. Not one of our big guns was playing on Saturday? We will have to wait and see what happens when the S14 start. Looking forward to a good year of rugby.
23 Jan 2006, 10:09 am
Spook,
Were the Cheetahs playing their full strength team?
23 Jan 2006, 10:11 am
wpw,
only way the Stormers can do better than last year is if they have a flyhalf – they don’t!
23 Jan 2006, 10:31 am
KWV
Seems like they did, saw Juan Smith, Classen and Bosman played, so i assume they played their first team.
23 Jan 2006, 11:00 am
Knersboy
Half of the Sharks team are from the Freestate
23 Jan 2006, 11:53 am
Yo!
Was at the game. What impressed me most, was that the pack actually didn’t do too bad against the supposed great tight 5 of the Bulls. They held there own. Brits and David Hendricks played well. The backline however was a disaster. The only stand out players (in the backline) for me were Olivier, Delport and Zahier Rylands. When Rylands especially had the ball, you got the feeling something was going to happen. Olivier played very well. Kicking was ok. Gifted the intercept to Habanna though. Delport looked good apart from the charge down. Over all. I’m not too down that we lost. The backline cost us the game and if anything, we’ll see a new backline when the comp starts proper.
23 Jan 2006, 12:47 pm
Im just happy that it wasnt more.
I thought the floodgates would open from Bulls forwards.
If it wasnt for Habana showing his class in a team of neanderathal plodders, who knows what may have transpired.
23 Jan 2006, 12:52 pm
snoop,
maar julle het nogsteeds, alweer, julle gatte gesien.
Kan jy dink hoe ver sou julle verloor het as julle “big guns” gespeel het. Tellings soos 75 kom by my op!
23 Jan 2006, 13:01 pm
Bryan, please join the Sharks!!!! yes, I know, wishfull thinking…I hope the Bulls don’t rely too much on Bryan…what happens if he gets injured? Do they have another speedster to rely on?
23 Jan 2006, 13:07 pm
E diddy,
yes we do. besides the current 4 wings we still have young Spies and Delport in the waiting.
23 Jan 2006, 13:50 pm
Snoop you are giving Neanderthals a bad name;)
23 Jan 2006, 14:03 pm
Only way the Stormers will perform is when they get a decent flyhalf and pack of forwards. Can’t say much about the forwards this year but we have a good backline. But we can’t win if the ball doesn’t come cleanly out into the backline. We also don’t need a flyhalf that will kick the ball away most of the time.
23 Jan 2006, 14:38 pm
“maar julle het nogsteeds, alweer, julle gatte gesien”
lol!!!!
23 Jan 2006, 14:41 pm
Andre_WP,
“Can’t say much about the forwards”
Then you can say zilch about the laaitie flyhalves…
23 Jan 2006, 14:43 pm
7 tries to 1 is a snotting in any language.
In fact, if this is the Stormers tight 5 playing well, just how many tries will the opposition score when they are playing badly?
Incedently,
Hougaard and Steyn need to start pulling finger.They need to start hitting a 75% average.
Hougaard needs to pull finger…..full stop.
Can anyone tell me if Dhulane had any sort of impact? Does his inclusion detract from the Bulls normal physical presence at the breakdown?
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