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the Bulls Beat the Stormers 34-29 in an entertaining and forceful contest that showed that there are no friendly matches between the north-south rivals, even in a series of inconsequential preparation.
SCORE | Bulls vs Stormers
The Stormers could have stolen the victory at the end if not for a shocking blow from Juarno Augustus inside the goal area without a Bulls defender in sight, after the full-time horn sounded.
It was a missed opportunity to seal the win that undid the Stormers ‘best work of the second half, especially from the Stormers’ forwards, who secured a good ball at the lineout for that final play.
Nonetheless, hot rivals stuck to the ball-in-play script for these matches, running the ball when a South African derby could dictate they squander possession with conservative kicks.
You wouldn’t say there are no silverware on sale. It was a pleasure to watch and it sparked the initiative in players who needed a good game on the belt.
The Bulls started it all with an attempt from Richard Kriel already in minute 4 that set the tone for the attractive things that served us.
They got their passing game on the move, but Cornal Hendricks’ superb discharge sent Kriel scoring without touching.
At the opposite extreme, Damian Willemse looked refreshed and revitalized after committing his future to the Cape franchise. Either that or Jake White inadvertently motivated the prodigious talent with his ardent quest to lure the young man to Pretoria.
Having a former World Cup winning Springbok coach covets your ego-cleaning services the right way.
If it weren’t for a missed pass from scrum half Paul de Wet near the Bulls line that Willemse couldn’t muster, the fullback could have opened up the Stormers’ try count.
But he did affect the visitors’ starting score anyway, first by throwing deft, precise kicks that had the Stormers playing in the attacking areas.
Then when play allowed, he sent a good assist pass as he was tackled to left winger Leolin Zas, who finished brilliantly in the 23rd minute.
Zas still had a lot of work to do, and he shrugged off Stedman Gans on his way to his first touchdown of the night.
It was like seeing “old Zas”, the one who lit up Cape Town before his move to Durban dramatically tarnished his exploits.
Nine minutes later, Rikus Pretorius broke the Stormers ‘left, fabricated a two-on-one against the Bulls’ last defender, before feeding Zas for the easiest attempt he will score at Loftus.
White will be alarmed by how easily the Stormers blew up Madosh Tambwe’s wing, although the new recruit looked strong on offense.
The Bulls stopped some bleeding after conceding 20 unanswered points since scoring their first attempt when hooker Joe van Zyl pushed his way over the line a minute before the halftime horn.
A half that passed in a flash left the scores at a tempting 20-14 for tourists.
The hosts began the second half as the first ended, breaking through the Stormers’ defense with relative ease.
This time, in less than two minutes, Marco Jansen van Vuren benefited from the Bulls’ great play in the first phase from his own half, some good hands and a free and wild 30-meter sprint from Kriel. Van Vuren finished off the well-crafted attack.
In everything he did, young Kriel proved he’s as good as his older brother David, current No. 15 Bulls. They should both have careers similar to those of the Barrett brothers, Beauden and Jordie, if they continue on the same upward trajectory.
With the game at stake, the Bulls scored a decisive try in the 70th minute when Ruan Nortje scored the Bulls’ second try on a lineout that the Stormers again inadequately defended.
Not long after, Hendricks broke down in midfield and was stopped only by a Tim Swiel touch to the ankle. As Hendricks attempted to unload a supporting Bulls running back, Ruhan Nel illegally took advantage of the forward pass and earned himself a yellow card. From there, the Bulls got a penalty that turned out to be the winning score.
Scorers:
Bulls – 34 (14)
Attempts: Richard Kriel, Joe van Zyl, Marco Jansen van Vuren, Ruan Nortje, penalty try
Conversions: Chris Smith (2)
Penalty: Morne Steyn
Storms – 29 (20)
Attempts: Leolin Zas (2)
Conversions: Kade Wolhuter (2)
Penalties: Kade Wolhuter (3), Tim Swiel (2)
Equipment:
Bulls
15 Richard Kriel, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Marco Jansen van Vuren, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Nizaam Carr (captain), 7 Werner Gouws, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Janko Swanepoel, 3 Jacques van Rooyen, 2 Joe van Zyl, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Substitutes (from): 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jan Uys, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Diego Appollis, 24 Nolan Pienaar, 25 Raynard Roets, 26 Marnus Potgieter
Stormers
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Kade Wolhuter, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Marcel Theunissen, 5 David Meihuizen, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 Leon Lyons
Substitutes (from): 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Johan du Toit, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Tim Swiel, 24 Chris Schreuder, 25 Cornel Smit
