Stormers rally late to end Loftus drought
URC MATCH REPORT: The Stormers scored two late tries to halt the Bulls' impressive home record - a 30-26 win in a thrilling encounter at Loftus Versfeld.
After an incredible run of 24 consecutive victories, this United Rugby Championship derby was Jake White's first home loss since becoming Director of Rugby at the Pretoria franchise
The Bulls almost produced a stunning comeback.
Trailing 0-18 after the opening half-hour, they scored four unanswered tries to take a 26-18 lead - only for the Stormers to produce their own magic.
The Stormers' defence was a key factor in the first half - making more than 50 tackles, with a success rate of 95 percent. The Bulls, in contrast, missed more tackles and has a success rate of just over 80 percent.
The other issue for the home team was the number of mistakes they made that cost them scoring opportunities.
After the break, the Bulls raised both the tempo and intensity, but the error count continued to climb.
They did eventually improve their accuracy, dominating possession and territory - resulting in pressure that forced the Stormers into a string of penalties after the break.
However, despite going down 18-26, the Stormers produced a late rally that saw them edge their hosts.
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The Stormers started with incredible intensity, flying at the opposition on attack and defence.
They got an early reward when Seabelo Senatla pounced on a loose ball which bounced his way from a Manie Libbok grubber to score.
The first scrum of the match resulted in a penalty for the Stormers as the front row stamped their authority and Libbok slotted the kick from the halfway line.
The Stormers were not done there as a 50-22 kick from Damian Willemse put them in position before the home side strayed offside, giving Libbok the chance to slot the easy kick and make it 11-0.
The pressure remained squarely on the Bulls as it was a Libbok grubber again that set up Senatla for his second try.
The Stormers were reduced to 14 men late in the first half when Ernst van Rhyn was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements and the Bulls managed to get on the scoreboard with a maul try which made it 18-7 at half-time.
The Bulls scored the first three tries of the second half to take the lead for the first time of the match just short of the hour mark.
However, the Stormers stayed in the fight and hit back with a try from Herschel Jantjies, who got on the end of a grubber from Warrick Gelant.
That reduced the gap to just three points and from the restart, it was Bulls wing Madosh Tambwe who was shown a yellow card for taking Senatla out in the air.
The Stormers dug deep and came up with the winning try from replacement scrumhalf Paul de Wet which sealed a 30-26 bonus-point win.
Man of the match: Elrich Louw and Johan Grobbelaar were brave and productive for the Bulls in the first half. However, it was the bench that turned this around - the likes of Lizo Gqoboka and Marcel Coetzee. Morne Steyn certainly turned the game on its head after he came on after half-time. Seabelo Senatla, with his two first-half tries, Manie Libbok caused all kinds of problems for the Bulls. Forwards like Evan Roos, Ernst van Rhyn and Steven Kitshoff were also massive on the day. Our award goes to nippy Stormers scrumhalf Paul de Wet for producing the match-winner.
The scorers
For the Bulls
Tries: Grobbelaar, Tambwe, Papier, Louw
Cons: Smith, Steyn 2
For the Stormers
Tries: Senatla 2, Jantjies, De Wet
Cons: Libbok 2
Pens: Libbok 2
Yellow cards: Ernst van Rhyn (Stormers, 40+ - repeated infringements, illegal sack), Madosh Tambwe (Bulls, 66 - foul play, played player in the air)
Teams
Bulls: 15 David Kriel, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Cornal Hendricks (captain), 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Elrich Louw, 7 Reinhard Ludwig, 6 Arno Botha, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 Marcel Coetzee, 21 Izak Burger, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Harold Vorster.
Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat (co-captain), 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (co-captain).
Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Leon Lyons, 18 Brok Harris, 19 Adre Smith, 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Dan du Plessis, 23 Warrick Gelant.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuisen (South Africa)