The Stormers breezed into the semifinals of the United Rugby Championship when they, in a display of unremitting power and poise, vanquished the Bulls 33-21 at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
In front of a record URC crowd of over 44 000, the Stormers continued their dominance over their traditional rivals to set up a date with Connacht at the same ground next weekend.
On a typical autumn afternoon in the Cape, the result also proved in tune with convention as the Bulls were again the team to fall.
The home team dominated from the outset, asserting themselves in the tight exchanges, particularly when they carried the ball into contact. They manhandled the Bulls in that department in the opening minutes and pretty much set the template for the rest of the match.
Bossing collisions
Connacht showed how gain-line dominance is the gateway to victory in their shock quarterfinal win over Ulster on Friday night and the Stormers' Evan Roos, Steven Kitshoff and Joseph Dweba took their cue. Crucially, Dweba routinely found Ruben van Heerden at the front of the line-out.
Hacjivah Dayimani ghosted into dangerous positions, while for returning ball-pilfering flank Deon Fourie it was more 'The return of the jackal' than the actual 'The Day of the Jackal” as he left the field early in the second half with what looked like a niggle.
Buoyed by the territorial advances in front of him, scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies toyed with the Bulls' back division with teasing kicks into space. Flyhalf Manie Libbok's kicking boot was polished.
Shortly after kickoff, in an act of opportunistic marketing, circling above was a light aircraft dragging a banner with the name of a strip club. Soon too the realities of what the Bulls needed to achieve victory were laid bare. With so little ball they too would have to employ ambush tactics and apply their version of rope-a-dope to make headway.
They were also their worst enemies. Cyle Brink copped a yellow card for taking out the ever menacing Dayimani without the ball in the 27th minute before teammate Embrose Papier provided a much better example of how to play man and ball when he prevented Dweba from grounding the ball inside the Bulls' goal area.
Stormers spurned chances
The Bulls defended well but the Stormers also spurned several scoring opportunities that would have put the game out of reach in the first half.
Crucially the Bulls got a glimmer of hope when they scored a try after a maul just before the break but another Libbok penalty and a try by Angelo Davids effectively sealed the visitors' fate shortly after the restart.
Despite the efforts of the always sprightly Kurt-Lee Arendse, the enterprise of scrumhalf Embrose Papier and graft of captain Ruan Nortje victory always looked beyond the Bulls' grasp.
They do however deserve kudos for their second half endeavour.
Stormers (33) — Tries: Hacjivah Dayimani, Leolin Zas, Angelo Davids. Conversions: Manie Libbok (3). Penalties: Libbok (4).
Bulls (21) — Tries: Cyle Brink, Embrose Papier, Bismarck du Plessis. Conversion: Johan Goosen, Chris Smit (2).
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Stormers get a semi, Bulls go home
Cape side set up a meeting with Connacht for the right to play in the URC final
Image: 123RF/handmadepictures
The Stormers breezed into the semifinals of the United Rugby Championship when they, in a display of unremitting power and poise, vanquished the Bulls 33-21 at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
In front of a record URC crowd of over 44 000, the Stormers continued their dominance over their traditional rivals to set up a date with Connacht at the same ground next weekend.
On a typical autumn afternoon in the Cape, the result also proved in tune with convention as the Bulls were again the team to fall.
The home team dominated from the outset, asserting themselves in the tight exchanges, particularly when they carried the ball into contact. They manhandled the Bulls in that department in the opening minutes and pretty much set the template for the rest of the match.
Bossing collisions
Connacht showed how gain-line dominance is the gateway to victory in their shock quarterfinal win over Ulster on Friday night and the Stormers' Evan Roos, Steven Kitshoff and Joseph Dweba took their cue. Crucially, Dweba routinely found Ruben van Heerden at the front of the line-out.
Hacjivah Dayimani ghosted into dangerous positions, while for returning ball-pilfering flank Deon Fourie it was more 'The return of the jackal' than the actual 'The Day of the Jackal” as he left the field early in the second half with what looked like a niggle.
Buoyed by the territorial advances in front of him, scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies toyed with the Bulls' back division with teasing kicks into space. Flyhalf Manie Libbok's kicking boot was polished.
Shortly after kickoff, in an act of opportunistic marketing, circling above was a light aircraft dragging a banner with the name of a strip club. Soon too the realities of what the Bulls needed to achieve victory were laid bare. With so little ball they too would have to employ ambush tactics and apply their version of rope-a-dope to make headway.
They were also their worst enemies. Cyle Brink copped a yellow card for taking out the ever menacing Dayimani without the ball in the 27th minute before teammate Embrose Papier provided a much better example of how to play man and ball when he prevented Dweba from grounding the ball inside the Bulls' goal area.
Stormers spurned chances
The Bulls defended well but the Stormers also spurned several scoring opportunities that would have put the game out of reach in the first half.
Crucially the Bulls got a glimmer of hope when they scored a try after a maul just before the break but another Libbok penalty and a try by Angelo Davids effectively sealed the visitors' fate shortly after the restart.
Despite the efforts of the always sprightly Kurt-Lee Arendse, the enterprise of scrumhalf Embrose Papier and graft of captain Ruan Nortje victory always looked beyond the Bulls' grasp.
They do however deserve kudos for their second half endeavour.
Stormers (33) — Tries: Hacjivah Dayimani, Leolin Zas, Angelo Davids. Conversions: Manie Libbok (3). Penalties: Libbok (4).
Bulls (21) — Tries: Cyle Brink, Embrose Papier, Bismarck du Plessis. Conversion: Johan Goosen, Chris Smit (2).
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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