Stormers outmuscle bumbling Bulls

The French say that the more things change, the more they are the same. This does not apply to the Bulls' front row.

In the intense first half, the Bulls stood up to the Stormers and it was a battle for superiority, a raging battle but then the visitors changed the front row and that changed the game and ended with a try against the Bulls' pack that must make their great ancestors glad that they are not alive to see such humiliation.

The change put the Stormers on top. Oh, they also changed but on came two powerful props in JC Janse van Rensburg and Frans Malherbe and an strong hooker in Scarra Ntubeni. From then on only one side would win and they did by a vast margin in terms of the history of these two old foes.

The first half was not dour. Both sides ran from the start. There was the unusual sight of the Bulls running from their own 22. But by and large it was a match of thrust and parry. But if you wanted to gauge the intensity you had just to look at what happened in and after tackles. That was certainly hard.

In many ways it was a great day to be at Newlands. There were 40 129 in the ground and the people who go to rugby at Newlands are participants rather than spectators. And for the most part they were clothed in Stormers' blue.

The Bulls scored first when Dillyn Leyds ran with the ball but a tangle on his left produced a penalty for obstruction and flyhalf Francois Brummer goaled., 3-0 after 9 minutes. Five minutes later an eager Stormers' attack ended in an easy penalty for Robert du Preez. Brummer then kicked another one and Du Preez another two to make the score 9-6 to the Stormers at the break. No tries but lots of interest, at least when the kicking was better controlled. There was no profit for the Stormers to hoof the ball straight to Warrick Gelant or Bjorn Basson. The Bulls' kicks were better in that they were recoverable and instruments of pressure.

There was much less kicking in the second half and a lot more of an effort to create an opportunity for the man next to you.

Each side scored a penalty kick early in the second half. Then a penalty enabled the Stormers to have a line-out and a maul on their right. They went wide left and Du Preez dummied and accelerated to score a try in Brummer's tackle, the tall flyhalf's first Super Rugby try, which he converted. 19-9 after 51 minutes, but the Stormers knew that they could not trust the Bulls to lie down.

The Bulls won a turnover off Juan de Jongh and went on a multiphased attack but when they got to 13 phases, they were penalised. That was the last time they looked as if they could score a try. That is not entirely true because a penalty and a great kick gave them a five-metre line-out, but they knocked on and the Stormers destroyed their scrum

The Stormers on the other hand had a strong, well directed attack as newboy Leolin Zas raced at the Bulls' line and the Stormers bashed at the line till Pieter-Steph du Toit picked up and passed the Eben Etzebeth and then watched his lock partner power through four Bulls to score at the posts. 26-9 with 15 minutes to play.

The crowd was now in thoroughly enjoying the later summer afternoon and urging their team to get more. One more would mean a bonus point under the new system of awarding bonus points for tries.

When Grant Hattingh tackled high, the Stormers kicked out on the Bulls' 22. They formed a maul in the line-out and then scored the most remarkable try ever produced by a 'rolling maul'. This one did not roll. It raced and over they went for a try at the North Stand. They could have scored it in Salt River or Sea Point if they had needed to, such was their power and thrust and the absence of any Bulls' resolve. There were just two minutes to play and the Stormers and their supporters were left to drift off in a happy mood.

Man of the Match: Apart from Warrick Gelant, the Candidates are all Stormers – energetic Cheslin Kolbe, calm points' machine Robert du Preez, unrelenting Schalk Burger, Eben Etzebeth and our choice, Nizaam Carr who won line-outs, defended – with efficiency and carried strongly.

The scorers:

For the Stormers:

Tries: Du Preez, Etzebeth, Ntubeni

Cons: Du Preez 3

Pens: Du Preez 4

For the Bulls:

Pens: Brummer 3

Teams.

Stormers: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Juan de Jongh (co-captain), 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Oliver Kebble.

Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Frans Malherbe (co-captain), 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Siyamthanda Kolisi, 21 Nic Groom, 22 Kurt Coleman, 23 Leolin Zas.

Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Nic de Jager, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Rudolph Snyman, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Trevor Nyakane.

Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, Burger Odendaal.

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa)

TMO: Christie du Preez (South Africa)

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