Stunning Stormers stop Bulls
2 Jun 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on a breathtaking spectacle in which an impossibly brilliant defensive effort saw the Stormers beat the Bulls 19-15.
This had it all. Abrasive phase play? Numerous examples. Brutal collisions? There were plenty. Foul-mouthed exhortations to achieve a level of performance that transcends the expected? Check. An underdog that refused to accept that billing. You bet ya. This was a derby of epic proportions, one befitting a match of this importance. And ultimately the Stormers took Loftus off the back of one of the great defensive performances.
When viewed in the context of their dire situation with injuries to key players, the importance of the result, the opposition, the venue, and having a man yellow carded, the Stormers’ performance was among the best and bravest they have produced in the history of Super Rugby.
The Bulls dominated possession and territory and that they scored just one try is a credit to the Stormers’ defensive structure and the accuracy of their execution within that structure. The Bulls needed to play with a high tempo to seriously trouble them, but their ability to do so was stifled by uncompromising hits at the gainline and a rabid breakdown contest.
However, the Cape side’s attack struggled and undermined their cause yet again. Credit to the Bulls, who themselves produced a tackle fight of appreciable strength and accuracy. The Stormers shelved their renowned kicking game in favour of ball-in-hand attack but their surges were often forced to go lateral as a pink wall advanced at them with pace and cohesion. Often the Stormers played well behind the advantage line and seldom threatened. There was a throwback moment from Bryan Habana in the 20th minute where the winger broke and made 40m. But that moment was birthed from a broken field situation. Their general play lacked innovation and precision, while the scrums were little more than adequate and lineouts an absolute shambles. But when it mattered they delivered, Habana, once a beloved son of Loftus, downing his former team-mates.
Morne Steyn and Peter Grant traded penalties before the Bulls crossed the whitewash, controversially so, as it appeared that Pierre Spies had grounded the ball on Deon Carstens’ boot. Steyn missed the conversion but banked three points shortly thereafter. Grant landed a penalty of his own just before the break to leave his side trialling 11-9.
Defence dominated threafter, and with neither side able to get go-forward and the lines able to fan out, the attacking play was laboured and largely impotent.
Stormers prop Frans Malherbe complicated an already arduous task when he got himself sin-binned for a tip-tackle with a quarter of the game to play. But the Stormers redoubled their efforts and scored the only points in Malherbe’s absence, Grant sinking a penalty to make it a two-point game.
Then the play that changed the game. The Stormers seemed to be venturing down another attacking dead-end when Quin Roux threw a speculative pass wide to Siya Kolisi. But JJ Engelbrecht was hesitant in closing the flanker down, allowing him to cut through a hole and pick Habana out with the most perfectly timed pass. It topped a masterclass from Kolisi. At only 20, his future is very, very bright.
The Bulls launched an almighty late assault but the Stormers held all the cards. It was the Stormers’ primary strength against a desperate and disjointed Bulls attack. They never looked like folding.
What a match.
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399 Comments
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2 Jun 2012, 23:11 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-349:
Jeez no…I don’t want them near us…just far enough away to beat the bejeezes out of them.
Vokkit… remember the fool who said before the 1st match at Newlands, “come on Bulls, do it for Eugene Terreblanche”
Now why would we want to keep people like that? If you keep the team, you must accomodate their supporters. ****’em.
2 Jun 2012, 23:33 pm
Ek is nie a Stormer nie! Ek bly Verloor…….. Ek is a bul
2 Jun 2012, 23:44 pm
@351
Fair enough Nam. Most of them seem to disappear when they get beat though, so maybe only have to make room for a couple of hundred at most.
2 Jun 2012, 23:47 pm
And how can anyone say that game was boring? you must be out of your cotton picking mind! We have played the Aussies and Kiwi’s and have a 6 win and 1 loss ratio in which your sublime Crusaders were outscored 2 tries to 1. So no wonder the Kiwis score so many tries against each other they cant defed.
2 Jun 2012, 23:51 pm
Tonight was like a home game for the Stormers. And Loftus was silenced. For the second year in a row. It was like music to my ears.
2 Jun 2012, 23:52 pm
Well done the mighty Stormers.
2 Jun 2012, 23:53 pm
I wonder what HGs new nic will be?
3 Jun 2012, 00:02 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-355:
Yeah, it was only a year ago but so much water has passed under the bridge since then. Remember how ET celebrated with us but now he despises SAn rugby
3 Jun 2012, 00:09 am
@JockBok(JockBok)-358:
Man, I have never ever seen so many Stormers jerseys in Pretoria. It was like a home game. Loftus a fortress. Well pffft to that.
And ET can suck eggs for all I care.
3 Jun 2012, 00:13 am
@SAWP(SAWP)-352:
Is jy van die slim bulle of die dom bulle?
Ons het julle lekker gemoer, ne!!!
3 Jun 2012, 00:13 am
Stil met die bul stormers bly baas al is meyer in blinde poepol
3 Jun 2012, 00:13 am
@stormer in a teacup(stormer in a teacup)-357:
Give him a week. That’s the usual. Once he surfaces from his haze. A little more stupider.
3 Jun 2012, 00:17 am
HM hahaha jou ou grapjas hoekom drik jy nie maar net die stormers n pit nie fooken woonker
3 Jun 2012, 00:39 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-319:
Did the site crash? Is that why I’m struggling to get on? Thought it was Tac.
Wonder how (the real) Grant10 feel about Brussow not being in the squad.
Man, how I wish he was here to tell HM about that oversight.
Come on man G10, you’re are missed here. Give us your take on the squad.
3 Jun 2012, 00:45 am
@nama1(nama1)-364:
Yes the site was having issues I could not get on either
Everyone trying to get on to blast HM’s squad
3 Jun 2012, 01:17 am
Ryan vrede
Your second paragraph describing the clash had it all…the only checks you had was potty mouthed angry men donnering each other…is that good rugby in RSA?
Right!!..then the boks get beat by technically better sides but the boks made the big hits in the game..yet they think they should have won!!
3 Jun 2012, 01:25 am
@nama1(nama1)-364:
Don’t say i didn’t warn you about Brussow!
Loftus today was a blast. And very noisy for a while. But only a while. Then us Stormers made a moer of a noise.
3 Jun 2012, 01:50 am
@IAAS(I am a stormer)-367:
That you did.
Still find it very strange.
JW now looking to sign Pokock… a fetcher.
Our coach say… no fetcher.
Strange indeed.
3 Jun 2012, 02:26 am
Keo (the man) probably had a brandy and coke (what a joke!) on the Stormers’ victory, and Ryan, if you sniffed (ha, ha, again) a Stormers’ victory, it didn’t find its way into your prediction. You are gloating after the fact. See today’s Rapport for the story of the year. Its an exposé about the real Keo.
3 Jun 2012, 03:22 am
The Bulls were terrible. Steyn must give up skepskop. Poor SA rugby doomed with the new coach.
3 Jun 2012, 03:26 am
Excellent performance Stormer’s… well on the road to their third consecutive play-offs…
As for the disgraced Mark Keohane… cocaine abuse and womanising most certainly goes a long way to explaining that farcical narcissism that is keo tv and the daily thousands of attention seeking twotters…
3 Jun 2012, 03:38 am
awesome stormers. i did not think you could do it! how could i doubt you. well on your way to topping the SA conference now. and if chiefs somehow drop a game or two maybe home ground advantage all the way through the playoffs…
sharks out of top 6…. bet they’re praying for 6th now. you’d rather be playing brumbies than bulls or crusaders…..
at this point though looks like 3 kiwis sides, 2 sa sides and 1 aussie side in playoffs.
sharks bulls clash will likely be a play off decider. go sharks
3 Jun 2012, 03:48 am
@Lang Giel(Lang Giel)-369:
Still smarting after your loss, Lang Giel?
Get over it already
WE BEAT YOU AT LOFTUS.
Two years in a row now.
No need to use Marks “problems” to make yourself feel better.
3 Jun 2012, 04:19 am
@nama1(nama1)-373:
“WE BEAT YOU AT LOFTUS.”
What position were you playing?
3 Jun 2012, 04:36 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-374:
SUPPORTER position.
3 Jun 2012, 04:43 am
@nama1(nama1)-375:
Nice one… as you were… continue ribbing…
Great win…
3 Jun 2012, 04:45 am
change the heading. stunning stormers stop springbulls.
3 Jun 2012, 04:58 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-376:
It was.
Unexpected for some… a surprise for most (Bulls and some Shark supporters), but not for me.
I knew WE would bounce back after last week.
People forgot that the Bulls lost two in a row and was returning from overseas…they only looked at the Stormers lost against the Sharks last week.
Well…the result is there for all to see.
3 Jun 2012, 05:56 am
Stormers smashed those w@nkers in pienk big time. Spies is worthless. What a plonker.
3 Jun 2012, 06:02 am
@Jinx2(Jinx2)-379:
careful there you’re talking about the next bok kaptein there you know.
3 Jun 2012, 07:03 am
Bulls lost to an Landers and Chiefs and let’s be honest – without taking anything away from the Chiefs – those two side are not operating at thr levels they previously have. Bulls also got out of jail against Rebels and Waratahs. The Stormers also haven’t been setting the world alight recently but they have one weapon that they use well and that’s defence! How Kolisi was missed to stop the Sharks runners last week.
I knew it, I had a feeling we’d beat the Bulls. Stormers all the mutha farking way. I called it all week. Where were all our Bully boys last night? At least some of the Shark folk stuck around after their loss!
3 Jun 2012, 08:07 am
The stormers showed at Loftus the wrong man in charge of Springbok rugby. Only in Pretoria can the man of the match still be considered only a development player.
3 Jun 2012, 08:45 am
Eech! http://www.rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Keohane-van-sy-kop-af-weens-kokaien-20120602
3 Jun 2012, 08:47 am
I said it in the week !! if the Stormer pitch up Mentally & physically they will grind out a win !!! The Bulls fans was going on about 75 -15 win of many years ago !! It was going to be a walk over …. larf out farking loud !!!
And to all the Stormers Haters out there : HG , Gerber13 , Mal oog u know who u are !!! here is to U
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3 Jun 2012, 10:18 am
384
Preach the word bru! Sorry I couldn’t make it out to your place yesterday. Storm Saam!!!
3 Jun 2012, 12:17 pm
What a match indeed.Defence wins the big ones and so it was shown again.Stormers now have some time off whilst welcoming back their big guns(Burger,Vermeulen,Bekker) after the break.They on the fast track to regaining top of the conference trophy and maybe a home playoff.Very proud of Strompies big effort at ‘previously’ fortress Loftus.
3 Jun 2012, 13:26 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-383:
GWS tried to read it but its in your language, could you please give me a quick summary??
3 Jun 2012, 13:30 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-387:
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Mark-Keohane-in-cocaine-scandal-20120603
3 Jun 2012, 14:08 pm
Bryce@371
GWS@388
There is a great song by JJ CALE
3 Jun 2012, 14:45 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-388:
Cheers, hasn’t every guy slept with the odd hooker and done a few lines, the alleged sexual harassment part isn’t a good look though.
3 Jun 2012, 14:55 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-390:
As I said on another thread Greentea,
let those without sin hand me the stones.
8)
3 Jun 2012, 15:17 pm
@cane(cane)-391:
exactly, if he has to have an addiction I couldn’t think of two better ones to have
3 Jun 2012, 15:22 pm
The drugs thing carries with it no surprise these days.
The harrassment thing is however a bit sleazy.
3 Jun 2012, 15:46 pm
Ek wonder hoeveel Blou Bul ondersteuners het gisteraand hulle vrouens gemoer?
3 Jun 2012, 16:00 pm
PreDawn. You really are one hypocritical, lying, low-life scumbucket. Have you absolutely no shame? We all know honour, decency and sportsmanship are concepts foreign to you. You say “The harassment thing is however a bit sleazy”?
Just what do you think you and your low-life mates Fern and HeavensGame have been doing to Dawn for the past few years? What do you call that? Your lewd comments. Your sexual innuendo. Your gutter talk. That is sexual harassment you stupid, ignorant low-life. You three also had a go at the two ladies on KeoTV.
Just because you do it anonymously on a blog does not make it any less harassment or you and your mates any less cowards. You and Fern then have the audacity to warn other bloggers about what they say. There are only three permanent deletions that will improve this site. You and your two mates.
3 Jun 2012, 17:49 pm
Kolisi, elstad, etzebeth – don’t cross them….they will mo.er you. Voetsek
And that Roux who came on isn’t bad either
3 Jun 2012, 19:25 pm
so keo is a cocaine addict **** i cant stand cocaine addicts ,snobbish cnunts
if you ask me.Tikkoppe on the other hand nice guys
3 Jun 2012, 20:40 pm
Good win Stormers. Bulls shoul’ve finished the game off when they had a chance.
By scoring at least once in the second halve, and taking the kicks.
Anyhow. Well done.
And the Lions did the Bulls a favour -luckily.
Beware the Bulls. We might just meet you again in the semi’s/ quarters.
3 Jun 2012, 20:56 pm
@nama1(nama1)-368: hows this two faced skunk
when he got one under his goddamn nose he says he don’t need one unless to fetch beers from his fridge
then he goes through his Damascus realization and now he wants THREE of them altogether in his team.. is Michael Hooper not one Luke Watson wannabe already.. now he want Pocock ALSO .. and how many more fetchers this two face charlatan seeking to align his new found philosophy with
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