The DHL Stormers produced a tactical masterclass at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, dismantling the Vodacom Bulls’ forward aura and racking up an impressive 32-19 win.
For all the Bulls' bravado of having turned the corner, their momentum came to an abrupt stop as John Dobson’s side completed the north-south double over their fiercest rivals to stop their own three-game losing streak and get their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign back on track.
The Stormers weathered an early Bulls storm in the first half, where the home side failed to take advantage of their dominance, to power onwards from the half-hour mark and completely dismantle the Bulls' home ground aura with a win for the ages.
It was a win that was more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests and certainly underlines the fact that while Bulls fans may have thought their side had turned the corner, they certainly aren’t anywhere close to being the same side that made the final last season.
On the day, the Stormers won the bragging rights in the scrums, dominated the lineouts with ease and had a maul that was so dominant that it milked tries, and gave them a penalty try as well. JD Schickerling was exceptional and led from the front, while Neethling Fouche, Ntuthuko Mnchunu and Deon Fourie stood out.
While these games are normally a lot closer than most expect, it was exceptional to watch the Stormers take control as the Bulls fell apart at home after looking so dominant early on.
The opening minutes saw them find holes in the Stormers' defence easily. Heck, there were eight line breaks from the Bulls in the opening half and not one try from them.
The amount of handling errors by the home side was criminal, and played right into the Stormers' hands.
WIN FOR THE AGES
So dominant were the Bulls in those opening 30 minutes that the Stormers were reduced to 13 men - first when Adre Smith tackled Handre Pollard late in the 14th minute and then when the Bulls maul rumbled over, and Ben-Jason Dixon was adjudged to have taken the maul down illegally, earning a penalty try and 10 minutes in the bin for him.
But that was when a top side like the Bulls should have taken control. Instead, their tactics were perplexing. They kicked the ball downfield too often, ran from inside their own 22, and when they won penalties in kicking range, turned down the option to go to posts.
The Stormers, who also had a try by Suleiman Hartzenberg disallowed early on, took control of the game on the half-hour mark, as their yellow cards returned.
Instead of being rattled, they were determined, disciplined and started taking control of the match.
Their first try came from a lineout move that shifted the Bulls' defence easily and opened up space for Leolin Zas to motor down the touchline, with the recycled ball seeing Damian Willemse dance into a hole to level up the scores.
When the Stormers, by contrast, got a chance to take points, they took it, and it showed. The scoreline at either side of halftime went from 7-7 to 13-7 in the Stormers' favour. It could have been worse had Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored all his kicks.
STORMERS TAKE CONTROL
Inexplicably, the Bulls had already changed their Springbok front row early in the second half, and this was when the Stormers forwards really took control. The penalty count went one way and with the maul getting penalised too easily, suddenly eight penalties in a row turned the scoreline into a one-sided affair.
Paul de Villiers extended the lead at the back of the maul in the 57th minute and no matter how the Bulls tried, they kept on running into Stormers’ walls, and their own game started falling apart.
The frustration creeping in, Cobus Wiese was only on the field for three minutes when Ben-Jason Dixon tackled him, and in frustration, he seemed to throw a punch. A yellow was warranted, and the Bulls were sent back in their own 22, with another maul rumbling over to put the Stormers even further ahead.
The maul was deemed to be dropped illegally and Marco van Staden joined Wiese in the sin bin, marking a sad end to his 100th game for the Bulls. The penalty try made the scoreline bigger and the Stormers' dominance more prominent.
Zak Burger’s late try, coming from a grubber and a tap into his hands from Canan Moodie, signalled it may be signs of a comeback.
But the Stormers snuffed that out by taking advantage of the desperation, and a grubber kicked through in the chaos gave Hacjivah Dayimani an easy score.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scored on the final whistle, but this was a day the Stormers dominated and deserved the points on offer.
SCORERS
VODACOM BULLS - tries: Penalty try, Zak Burger, Kurt-Lee Arendse. Conversion: Handre Pollard
DHL STORMERS - tries: Damian Willemse, Paul de Villiers, Penalty try, Hacjivah Dayimani
Conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2)