Stunning Stormers stop Bulls

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.

Follow Ryan on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter


399 Comments

Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All

  • 51.theOracle: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:42 pm

    Steyn and Olivier run the same play, again and again and again and again…..

  • 52.Hondo: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:43 pm

    Ndungane to Aplon
    But Aplon dropped it,,,
    ;)

  • 53.cab: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:44 pm

    Hope the bleddy pub stop showing the poefball -gdam useless game – can’t see ****. Good side pity about Sinclair shouldve have fourie at 6 with kolisi at 8 but die grootkanonkok should be pretty good at 5 with etsebeth

  • 54.RL: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:44 pm

    @Hondo(Hondo)-52: you are warped man :lol:

  • 55.saru1983: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:45 pm

    try duvenhage,s fault

  • 56.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:45 pm

    What a disgrace
    TMO????????

  • 57.Pee Wee: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:45 pm

    What a joke

  • 58.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:45 pm

    that was on carstens boot!!

  • 59.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    Same thing happened in the Lions game and TMO got it right

  • 60.Hondo: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    Try?
    I thought Carstten boot was in the way?
    Styen missed conversion, so much for Mr Reliable

  • 61.garth: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    Almost worth letting a try in to see Steyn miss that

  • 62.sandeno: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    Shocking and pathetic call for Spies try.

  • 63.saru1983: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    @theOracle(theOracle)-51: at least they have aplay

  • 64.Pee Wee: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:46 pm

    Disgraceful – Kaplan again showing us why the Stormers seldom win when he officiates

  • 65.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:47 pm

    Spies is a bad disciple……..a cheating disciple. Hope he thinks of that when he listens to his Hillsong hits.

  • 66.Hondo: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:48 pm

    Altitude started affecting the Sormers’ forwards

  • 67.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:48 pm

    Kaplan going to give this to the bulls?
    He missed the truck and trailer

  • 68.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:50 pm

    off WO’s hand No knock on?
    Then bulls player plays the ball Should be penalty

  • 69.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:51 pm

    hougaard is a tad helter skelter…that’s why meyer is calling du preez back…not decisive.

  • 70.ciccino: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:52 pm

    looks like it’s a bulls haters’ chat)))

  • 71.AssassinWP: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:52 pm

    So if u ground the ball on a player’s foot its a TRY!!!STUPiD idiotic….”Give me a reason not to award the try”.”You cannot award the Try the ball was grounded on the players foot”You dumb TV ref

  • 72.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:54 pm

    Ai Shaun grow some balls

  • 73.sharks_lover: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:55 pm

    oh boy, this is gonna be 90 min of blame the ref and then some :lol:

  • 74.ciccino: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:56 pm

    @AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-71: “give me a reason not to award the try” means that he saw the ball slipping from that foot to the ground! that’s simple

  • 75.sharks_lover: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    Morne Steyn making a lot of mistakes

  • 76.Pee Wee: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    Bulls not putting daylight between them and Stormers. They better pray it doesn’t bite them in the second half

  • 77.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    Naah.

    Blame the tmo

  • 78.Transformation: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    terrible pass morne

  • 79.cab: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    England 1 Belarus 0 – mein godt how can anyone sit thru 90 mins of this kak?

  • 80.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:57 pm

    M Steyn scared of Stormer defenders

  • 81.saru1983: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:58 pm

    kak pass duvenhages fault

  • 82.RL: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:58 pm

    @AssassinWP(Ashraf Ismail)-71: it was on the green. :mrgreen:

  • 83.sharks_lover: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:58 pm

    now will the Stormers lift their game in the 2nd period??

  • 84.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:59 pm

    Cab what are you watchin!

  • 85.theOracle: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 19:59 pm

    @saru1983(saru1983)-63: “the play” has gone awry again there with Ndungane & Steyn…

  • 86.CoachPete: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:00 pm

    Maybe a fair score at the half Bulls somewhat lucky with that 5 pointer
    But makes for an interesting 2nd half

  • 87.sharks_lover: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:00 pm

    like i said to tacitus, dont think the stormers will go to PTA and play dead, after their loss to the Sharks they have regrouped and this time around their defence is fantastic

  • 88.superBul: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:01 pm

    Hello all keolites, just a peep in from a old level headed Bull, far was the Lions win great? It was awesome

  • 89.viewer: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:02 pm

    Altitude bogey to strike stormers

  • 90.Neil: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:02 pm

    What a load of boring garbage with little or no skills whatsoever; cannot pass, cannot handle a dry ball, cannot grubber and that after the master, Carter, and his understudy, Cruden, exquisitely executed 4 of those resulting in 4 wonderful tries.

    Those early morning games thankfully save, week after week, the rugby week-end without fail.

  • 91.saru1983: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:03 pm

    halftime score bulls 11 stormers 9 duvenhages fault
    thers a joke in there somewhere but i bunked eng a lot.

  • 92.cab: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:03 pm

    84 gdam soccer Dawn – 2nd biggest city in the Uk and no rugby – all I check is bunting, the queenies picture and projectile vomiting puking -long wend – they all out their tree.

  • 93.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:04 pm

    Oooo jinne. Extraball alert

  • 94.ufo: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:05 pm

    hey super…

    long time…

    yeah… lions did great…

    this games gonna be a tough as expected…!!

  • 95.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:05 pm

    @viewer(viewer)-89: The Bulls bodies shouldn’t be back in ‘altitude sync’ quite yet either. Flown back from NZ via Durban – and last played at altitude themselves a while back. (That’s what I am hoping in any case…..wishful thinking maybe?)

  • 96.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:06 pm

    :lol: cab!

  • 97.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:08 pm

    @Neil(Neilanate)-90: Oh dear – someone needs a hug? An open game is glorious to behold (but I can watch 7′s or league if I wanted that all the time….) Watching tight and hard games like this is JUST as glorious. If you find it boring – you should stick to 7′s.

  • 98.Pee Wee: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:09 pm

    Please get Jebb off the park and get Fourie on ASA-Mutha-farking-P

  • 99.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:10 pm

    @cab(cab)-92:

    hahahahaha- u cannot have u cake and eat it… enjoy the good life over there in the first world …. and fark, your team was awesome today…. too little to late or what??

  • 100.viewer: Reply to this comment
    2 Jun 2012, 20:11 pm

    Neil. True
    No SA player would, like Rene Ranger, pick up a ball ± 65 metres out & with d defenders in front of him, still see an opportunity to score

Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

Have your say

You must be logged in to post a comment.