Bulls v Stormers: Four takeaways from a classic South African North-South derby

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Following the Bulls’ 40-22 triumph over the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out four takeaways from the action.

The top line

This was a good advertisement for the South African game as these sides went at each other hammer and tongs for the full 80 minutes and although the Bulls won the game by an 18-point margin, it was a tightly-fought battle throughout.

The result means the Pretoria-based outfit have ended a seven-match losing streak against the Stormers, whose 16-game winning run against South African opposition in the United Rugby Championship has also come to an end.

There was plenty of hype in the build-up to this clash and it certainly lived up to it and the game was played at a Test match intensity in front of a capacity crowd.

In the end, it was a savage encounter characterised by several brutal collisions and big hits throughout but in the end, the Bulls were deserved winners as they controlled the game better and won the most of the 50/50 duels.

The home side also had the better of the aerial duels with Springbok flyers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie excellent in that department while the Stormers struggled to gather the ball cleanly on several occasions.

Sold-out crowd sets the scene

Kudos to the Pretoria rugby public for packing Loftus Versfeld to its rafters for South Africa’s North-South derby and these teams proved that it’s not just the Springboks who can sell out stadiums in that country.

The Bulls and Stormers are arch rivals and like previous seasons in the United Rugby Championship, they are also South Africa’s leading teams in the competition this season.

With a crowd of 51,000 spectators in attendance, there was a fantastic atmosphere at Loftus Versfeld and we were hoping this was going to be a classic encounter. It certainly was the case as momentum between these sides ebbed and flowed for long periods and the fans in the stadium were entertained throughout.

Bulls’ fine start, game management and defence crucial

After losing their previous seven matches against the Stormers, the home side were highly motivated to turn the tables on their arch rivals and it certainly showed in the way they started on Saturday.

The team in blue were like men possessed during the early exchanges and came out firing as they raced into a 13-0 lead courtesy of Johan Grobbelaar’s converted try and a couple of penalties from Johan Goosen.

The Bulls and Springbok playmaker deserves plenty of credit as he came to the fore with solid game management and he kept the scoreboard ticking with consistently excellent goal-kicking.

Although the Bulls held an edge for long periods, the Stormers deserve credit for putting up a big fight and they gave their all as they chased the game throughout.

However, with scoreboard pressure increasing, they took greater risks and were met by a resilient defensive effort from their hosts. That was particularly evident in the latter stages of the match and the Bulls’ excellent defensive effort was rewarded when Embrose Papier crossed for a try in the game’s closing stages.

Stormers’ unforced errors and ill discipline prove costly

Although the Bulls made the brighter start and dominated the early exchanges, the Stormers were also their own worst enemies as their lack of discipline and unforced errors also allowed their opponents to hold the edge over them throughout this game.

The men from the Cape came up short in the aerial battle as they failed to control several high balls which they were bombarded with while they also conceded several unnecessary penalties with several of those high tackles and ruck infringements – especially in the first half – being punished by Goosen’s accuracy off the kicking tee.

Adding to that, their performance was characterised by a plethora of knock-ons in contact and poor throw-ins at the lineouts which led to turnover possession at crucial moments of the game.

That was evident shortly after half-time when they made four entries into the Bulls’ 22 but there was no reward as they committed unforced errors which gave the hosts a reprieve on each occasion.