Stormers edge brutal battle
The Stormers left it late but they did just enough to hold off a tough Bulls team and claim a tense 20-17 victory in their physically intense South African derby at Newlands on Saturday.
It was everything you expected of such a match – passionate, fractious, unforgiving, direct and without frills, and close to the finish. There was nothing fancy or romantic about the game but it was gripping from start to finish. It was as hard as a rugby match can be at any level. It was ever thus when these sides met at Currie Cup and at Super Rugby, but this year probably more so as the Stormers top the log and the Bulls, who would like to top the log, are at their stampeding best.
The game was sold out weeks ago. Packed Newlands, a still Saturday night – a delight for the crowd which started gathering at various venues in mid-morning. It was an excited crowd that skipped to the ground in high expectation. It was a gleeful crowd that skipped away in joy at their side’s victory. It was by three points, which probably enhanced the joy, and it would not have mattered if it had been by just a single point. In fact the closer, the greater the joy.
Take your hat/beanie/cap off and doff it to Peter Grant, the flyhalf whose languid air belies steely Big Match Temperament. Against the Sharks the scores were tied and his penalty in the dying minutes of the match bisected the winning posts. Against the Bulls the scores were tied and it was his penalty from 43 metres out, at an easier angle and with three minutes to play, bisected the winning posts again. The Bulls came charging back but the Stormers weathered the storm and when Louis Schreuder hoofed the ball, into the Railway Stand they were still winning by three points.
The match started with a call to silence to the memory of the six players of the Motherwell RFC who were drowned near Port Elizabeth last weekend.
Newlands does not do silence. It was beyond the crowd to stand in silence. After all, they had got their voices going when the Bulls came out to warm-up. They booed again when the Bulls ran out onto the field and stood in passionate voice bordering on hysteria to welcome their Stormers onto the field. They booed when Morné Steyn kicked at goal and twice had the satisfaction of cheering when he missed. But then even when their own Joe Pietersen was kicking at goal they made the noise of a raucous Mexican wave.
The crowd – 47 203 of them – were colourful but not as colourful as the psychedelic Bulls in their new jerseys and in their boots of pastel hues. Have you ever heard a referee before signal a scrum and say: “Scrum Pink”?
The game itself was close to boiling point and at times there was emotion but generally it was in control. There was a yellow card for an air tackle. The referee had penalised the Bulls for a late tackle and two air tackles. He then warmed their captain Pierre Spies that the next one would go to the bin. The next one was at the start of the second half when Flip van der Merwe was penalised, for a second time, for an air tackle, this time on Eben Etzebeth in a line-out. Ironically enough this was the signal for a Bulls revival and while he was off they scored ten unanswered points.
Newlands was bubbling as the Bulls kicked off and then it burst into cheers when Morné Steyn kicked off directly into touch. This was followed by the ferocious start to the match – determined attacking met by ferocious tackling. The Stormers attacked first and were close on the right but Siya Kolisi was penalised.
Dewaldt Duvenage, who may just have had his best game ever for the Stormers, kicked an up-and-under, Bryan Habana knocked back and Juan de Jongh kicked ahead and caught Zane Kirchner in possession. Van der Merwe came in the side and Pietersen goaled. 3-0 after 11 minutes.
François Hougaard, whose game was a mixture of good and bad, had a great break and then when Tiaan Liebenberg was penalised for playing a man without the ball the Bulls had a five-metre lineout. They mauled, they bashed and they went wide and whatever they did the Stormers knocked them back till they conceded a penalty and their best attack of the match fizzled out.
Jandré Kruger, who had many instructions for the referee, was penalised at a tackle and from 44 metres out Joe Pietersen goaled. 6-0 and then 9-0 when Jandré Kruger tackled Duvenage late and Pietersen made it 9-0.
On the stroke of half-time the Stormers attacked from a scrum as De Jongh broke straight ahead and then they went left to Liebenberg who had massive Etzebeth propelling him over the Bulls’ line for a try. 14-0 at the break.
In the second half the Bulls came chomping at the Stormers’ lead as the fought their way back into the game./It started, ironically, with the Stormers on the attack near the Bulls’ 22. Jean de Villiers broke and De Jongh darted ahead but then passed a silly pass into the arms of Hougaard who hoofed, left-footed, downfield. Kirchner sped after the ball and footed it on. Andries Bekker and Rynhardt Elstadt raced in defence but Kirchner was beating them as the ball went into in-goal near the posts, and suddenly Bjorn Basson dived on it for the try. 14-7 after 45 minutes.
Elstadt was penalised at a tackle. 14-10 after 49 minutes and the Bulls’ were on top. In fact after a Kirchner up-and-under the Stormers looked decidedly rickety. From a pressurised Stormers’ scrum Hougaard was over but had just knocked on en route.
The Stormers got back onto the attack but Dean Greyling was penalised at a tackle. 17-10.
Steyn missed a penalty kick at goal but from a tackle/ruck the Bulls went left and Jandré Kruger drew two Stormers to him and freed Wynand Olivier for a dash and dive for a try in the left corner. From touch Steyn levelled the scores at 17-all with 12 minutes to play.
The Bulls were again on the attack when Nick Köster dropped an up-and-under but Steyn opted to drop and missed. The Stormers moved out and with three minutes left, to hysterical noise, Grant calmly goaled the penalty that won the match. For the next three minutes the noise was unabated till Schreuder kicked the ball into victory.
Man of the Match: Some 40 men gave of their heroic best in this epic battle but our Man of the Match is that giant of strength, skill and calm Eben Etzebeth.
The scorers:
For the Stormers:
Try: Liebenberg
Pens: Pietersen 4, Grant
For the Bulls:
Tries: Basson, Olivier
Cons: Steyn 2
Pen: Steyn
Yellow Card: Flip van der Merwe (taking the man out in the air)
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Nic Koster, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
