Steyn slays Stormers
22 Feb 2013
Morne Steyn kicked the Bulls to a winning Super Rugby start as the hosts easily beat the Stormers.
The Bulls won 25-17 after leading 9-0 at half time.
A Loftus crowd of 44 272 watched the opening match to the South African season.
The match was poor in quality with both teams a mess in the line outs and ineffective on attack among the backs.
Defence was good and the physicality was, as always, prominent, but neither side threatened with ball in hand. The backs on both sides moved it too lateral and this was a match won in the trenches by the more dominant and composed pack.
The Bulls at scrum and in the collisions were the stronger and superior team, especially in the first 40 minutes. The go forward and momentum was with the Bulls for the majority of the match and despite a brief rally from the Stormers after half time the visitors offered little.
Stormers captain Jean de Villiers admitted afterwards the better team on the night had won and that the Stormers had been forced into too many mistakes.
Steyn, man of the match, kicked seven from seven, and impressed with a composed and mature tactical kicking game. Steyn, with his forwards in charge, controlled the game and the Bulls played the match in the right areas of the field.
There was very little flow to the game and it wasn’t helped because of periods in which there were uncontested scrums. This favoured the Stormers whose pack took a beating.
Elton Jantjies suffered in his debut for the Stormers and one felt for the young Bok flyhalf, who suffered the tragic loss of his father less than a month ago. Jantjies is an outstanding goal kicker with a Super Rugby career average of 80 percent, but his radar never functioned and he missed four successive penalty kicks. Joe Petersen was introduced for Gio Aplon and kicked all three efforts, but the match was one influenced by the Bulls forward effort and sealed by Steyn’s flawless goal kicking.
Steyn and Pierre Spies excelled for the hosts, and predictably Victor Matfield’s planning in combating Andries Bekker and the Stormers line out paid dividend. It was also aided by Deon Fourie’s experiencing a night at hooker the equal of Jantjies’s goal kicking.
Jean de Villiers was a strong presence for the Stormers and Bryan Habana’s night did not lack for effort. Siya Kolisi was the best of the Stormers loose-forwards but with the Bulls, as a unit, the more cohesive and impressive up front, Steyn was good enough to slay the Stormers.
By Mark Keohane
613 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 13 » Show All
22 Feb 2013, 20:55 pm
Backline 1000 Times better with Duvenhage at 10 compared to Jantjes fcking Stormers game to hell and back.
How come I knew this and nobody else including the dumb klutz coaching didn’t
22 Feb 2013, 20:56 pm
Stormers have lots to worn on. Their tight five were nowhere tonight
22 Feb 2013, 20:56 pm
Eish – Lions got a mental block when it comes to Super Rugby …
Must be the years ‘n years of losing
Damaged goods?
22 Feb 2013, 20:57 pm
Eish farking auto correct
22 Feb 2013, 20:57 pm
Stormers pretty rubbish, Bryan the only livewire
22 Feb 2013, 20:57 pm
@Angostura-153: but sold voetstoots
22 Feb 2013, 20:57 pm
that was no try by the bulls
both the ref and tmo were wrong
the ref asked if the ball was touched by an opponent but did not know that the ball has to be intentionally toched to place an offside player onside
22 Feb 2013, 20:58 pm
@Transformation-138:
Nee. Waarom, as jy wel net niks weet waarvan jy so ‘copy’ en ‘paste’?
Wat rol kan die receptor wel speel? Dit is in sel menbrane so wat verstaan jy daarvan.
Kan jy dit verduidelik?
22 Feb 2013, 20:58 pm
@skopdiekan-151: if that is true then why is the score the same for your broke back team. Should they not have scores 4 tries by now or 1000×4. Tik maths?
22 Feb 2013, 20:58 pm
So Jantjies has gone from saviour of Gaylord rugby to enemy number one in 60 minutes. Even Pistorious has a bigger following.
22 Feb 2013, 20:58 pm
Bulls without being spectacular have been solid.
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-145: The ball did toch the boot of no17 thus it is a try, also if you look closely you will see after Hougaart kicked the ball he ran forward into Kolisi, that had actually also put Chilli on side.
22 Feb 2013, 20:58 pm
@RL-148:
lets not not be too rash and rush to judgement, RedspeckledGuppie.
but a review of the tmo’s work tonight might be in order.
22 Feb 2013, 20:59 pm
Where are my fellow, shallow, yellow Capies?
Why do they leave me alone here to face the storm?
22 Feb 2013, 21:00 pm
@nikoli-155:
you need to look up ‘livewire’ in a dictionary, boet.
22 Feb 2013, 21:00 pm
@Angostura-156: Queen Guppy – don’t tell me you have brokeback tendencies too.
22 Feb 2013, 21:01 pm
Bekker scored
Mapoe and Kirchner didn’t cause him any missed sleep I could tell
22 Feb 2013, 21:01 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-161:
really?
well then i take it back
my eyesight is not what it used to be.
22 Feb 2013, 21:01 pm
Sel menbrane
22 Feb 2013, 21:02 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-162: I agree with with the zionist commentator – we need hotspot.
22 Feb 2013, 21:02 pm
wynand owned de allende
22 Feb 2013, 21:02 pm
@skopdiekan-151:
Deon Fourie lost the game for the Stormers in the first half already. When he missed his jumper in the 25 th minurte (attacking line out 5 meters from the Bulls line) for the 4th time i knew it was all over. If I was Bekker I would refuse to play unless they replace the plonker at no 2.
Congratulations to the Bulls.
22 Feb 2013, 21:03 pm
Fourie should only be considered as a no 6. He is just absolutely useless in his primary duties!!
22 Feb 2013, 21:03 pm
Wank wank wank, where’s the ******* rugby?
22 Feb 2013, 21:04 pm
@Predawn-160:
in your dreams maybe
Always been ‘The Relegator’ in reality, not sure how they called him at the Cape’s ancyl though
22 Feb 2013, 21:04 pm
At least the Cobras are winning.
22 Feb 2013, 21:05 pm
Kolisi absolutely nowhere in this game.
What is wrong in the Cape?
22 Feb 2013, 21:05 pm
Nah, bulls were better side.
Honestly just think its a joke that if your job is as a TMO then you should at least be able to figure out your angles and what’s conclusive and what isn’t.
But then I except our commentators to remember who’s playing as well… Lost causes stealing a living
22 Feb 2013, 21:05 pm
Congrats Bulls, well played
22 Feb 2013, 21:06 pm
Load of krêp
22 Feb 2013, 21:06 pm
Cell membranes for the limited plus challenged
Note the plural.
22 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
there is something very understated about Louis Fouche.
well done Bulls, a better start to the season than lasts.
WP is killing South African rugby.
22 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
Well done, Bulls.
22 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-178:
I feel like a Madagascar Pepper Fillet now….. good stuff
22 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
Well, Stormers should not be to sad as it was an away match
22 Feb 2013, 21:08 pm
F you Keo.it’s cause you lost those other guys that you getting it right.good prediction! The curse is wearing off!
22 Feb 2013, 21:09 pm
No sel menbranes?
22 Feb 2013, 21:09 pm
And the moans and groans and loans and maybe some sloans build up menacingly.
22 Feb 2013, 21:09 pm
Winning is not everything — Mark Keohane, Febr 2013.
22 Feb 2013, 21:09 pm
I enjoyed the game, relaxing. Bulls were a lot better than what a lot of you said they would be. A very determined side.
Hmm Spies, my pet hate, played better than expected I thought. M Steyn looked to be enjoying his rugby again.
Stormers, feck I don’t know, they are confusing. There is no set solid something or the other to say the game was like this or that, same with the players.
22 Feb 2013, 21:09 pm
@Robzim-171: The entire Stormers pack was outplayed – not just Fourie (tho’ he was the weakest link)
22 Feb 2013, 21:10 pm
Oh god how effin dump can you be?
22 Feb 2013, 21:10 pm
bulls play one way of playing & they stick to it…
22 Feb 2013, 21:10 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-164: relative to the rest of them ????
22 Feb 2013, 21:11 pm
@nikoli-173: playing with youself is not something you should be doing in a rugby blog.
@Robzim-175: commiserations.
22 Feb 2013, 21:11 pm
@RL-169:
perhaps but the Bulls were the better side hands down either way.
22 Feb 2013, 21:12 pm
@Angostura-190:
Yip, huge disappointment- lets hope the kings do better tomorrow.
22 Feb 2013, 21:12 pm
@Robzim-183: Bad luck there on the loss,
22 Feb 2013, 21:12 pm
Good win Bulls
22 Feb 2013, 21:13 pm
And dumb can you be
22 Feb 2013, 21:13 pm
@Robzim-196: Kings will show up…
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 13 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.