VIDEO: Will the Bulls surpass 'lucky number seven'?
STAT ATTACK: It took the Bulls eight attempts in the United Rugby Championship to get a victory over the Stormers, but they could seal a three-peat should they overcome the Capetonians this weekend and put that record under threat.
Momentum is a funny thing – when it’s with you, you feel unstoppable, when it’s against you, it’s an immovable object.
But it’s something that can change very quickly and the Bulls will be well aware of this in their URC history against the Stormers.
Following the Stormers’ chokehold of seven matches in a row against the Bulls including the inaugural URC Final and a quarterfinal, the Pretoria-based outfit finally got one over their arch-rivals last season and backed it up with a rare win in Cape Town three weeks ago.
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Following that result, the Bulls’ Director of Rugby, Jake White, spoke about that momentum shift making a tongue-in-cheek comment that maybe seven is his lucky number following the back-to-back victories over the Stormers.
“Sometimes you wait a long time for some things to turn,” White said following the Bulls’ victory against the Stormers.
“I spoke to Andries [Bekker] – they [Stormers] couldn’t beat the Bulls for a long time when he was here.
“And when they beat the Bulls, that cycle changed. So who knows, maybe seven is my lucky number.”
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The history between the two sides has been well documented, and despite the Stormers having more victories over the Bulls, the Pretoria-based outfit leads the charge with three Super Rugby titles (four including Super Rugby Unlocked) of which their last one came against the Stormers in the 2010 Final.
Domestically Western Province holds more Currie Cup titles than the Bulls (34-25) but the Bulls have won more titles since their establishment in 1938 – beating Western Province by 25 titles to 18.
Currently, in the URC, the Stormers lead the win-loss stat by seven wins to two, but the Bulls are under no illusion that they will be facing a desperate Stormers outfit this weekend whose season might ride on the result of the match.
A three-peat will give the rivalry even more spice following the Bulls’ seven consecutive defeats against the Stormers – with the momentum on their side, they could assert their dominance past the seven-match streak and turn the stat from a negative into a positive.
Longest streaks between the two sides
Super Rugby
Stormers: 1998-2004 (6 wins, 1 draw)
Bulls: 2005-2009 (5 wins)
Stormers: 2014-2016 (4 wins)
Super Rugby Unlocked, Rainbow Cup, and SA Preparation series
Bulls: 2020-2021 (4 wins)
URC
Stormers: 2022-2023 (7 wins)
Image credit @URC
