Where to start in a South African derby that delighted in its intensity, was influenced by so much chaos in attack and was ultimately won by the Stormers’ refusal to lose for a fourth successive time in this season’s United Rugby Championship on Saturday.
How about starting with a Stormers halftime lead of 10-7, which they would turn into a 32-19 win.
By rights the Stormers should have been buried after the first quarter against a rampaging home team, whose scrum, anchored by tighthead Wilco Louw, won two penalties within the first three minutes.
Between this, left-winger Kurt-Lee Arendse started and finished the most exhilarating of plays with a five-pointer, which was ruled out because of an earlier knock-on in the movement.
The Stormers had their own five-pointer cancelled when right wing Suleiman Hartzenberg stepped into touch while scoring. Hartzenberg was denied again when the pass from Sacha Feinberg Mngomezulu was ruled forward.
Less than 10 minutes had been played. It was frantic and fantastic.
The opening quarter was riveting, exhausting in the best possible way and favourable to the Bulls, who played 15 against 13 for five minutes and 15 against 14 for 15 minutes, with Stormers lock Adri Smit and flank BJ Dixon sharing the naughty chairs at the same time.
The Bulls, in control and comfortable, had opportunities to pull the trigger on the Stormers, but on this afternoon desperation found a way into the hearts of the visitors and the men from the south hung in, took blow after blow in the collisions, scrambled on defence and searched for something out of the ordinary.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu provided an electrifying break and kick, relieving the Bulls’ stranglehold on field position. Somehow, these fighting Stormers managed to score the most delightful try through Damian Willemse, whose match was transformed after scoring.
Bulls flanker Elrigh Louw streamrolled Willemse a few minutes earlier, but the Stormers inside centre rose with indignation and fire in his belly to be named the player of the match.
Willemse, in tandem with captain and fit-again outside centre Ruhan Nel, provided the hardcore experience, calm and physical presence needed to stifle the Bulls, while forwards Andre Hugo-Venter and Adri Smit were powerful in the carry and influential in the close exchanges.
Hugo-Venter, starting at hooker, was tremendous in his general play, but his scrumming, on-field leadership and lineout throwing completed a fantastic afternoon.
Derby matches of this ilk are often won by the players who dig the deepest, individually and as a collective. At Loftus, the visitors found that extra something, navigated the Bulls’ charge, and took control from the 50th minute.
The swing in fortune was monumental and there was no questioning the result when the Bulls were reduced to six forwards after lock Cobus Wiese and flank Marco van Staden received yellow cards within two minutes of each other, leading into the final quarter.
Willemse, with a perfectly weighted grubber, provided the kick-assist for replacement loose-forward Hacjivah Dayimani to score the bonus-point try in the 71st minute.
The Bulls scored the final try through Arendse, but the damage was already done, and the Stormers broke a three-match losing streak after starting the league with eight successive wins.
The result took them back near the top with 41 league points, while the Bulls remained in the top eight, despite not getting a league point.
Pressure created chaos, and the attacking nature of both teams ensured an end-to-end spectacle, even if purists would be less flattering of the indifferent execution from both teams.
Describing much of the second half as messy wouldn’t be inaccurate, but it would be unfair to the occasion, which 33,000 watched live.
This South African derby, almost predictably, delivered the unpredictable: the form team, playing at home, lost.
In those opening 40 minutes, the Stormers simply refused to be beaten, showing their quality as a championship contender.
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