A resolute defensive effort helped to lay the platform that enabled the Stormers to end a three-game losing streak and pull off a much-needed 32-19 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, coach John Dobson said.
In a typically hard-fought north-versus-south SA United Rugby Championship derby, the Stormers produced a heroic defensive effort to earn a bonus point win over their arch-rivals.
A delighted Dobson said the victory, after his team led 10-7 at halftime, was one of the best results the Stormers had achieved at Loftus in recent years.
“I honestly think we turned the game when we had the two yellows,” he said.
“There were two big things — that defensive set at the start of the second half when they came at us with what must have been 20 phases and we managed to repel that.
“Our maul and scrum worked well too.
“I think where we came from, there was a lot of doubt and questions, and you think about the noise around some of our players, a team that’s unbeaten, a lot of hype, ‘what’s happened to the Stormers’.
“It was probably our most important win, and I honestly think our most dominant performance.
“It’s a really good Bulls team all around the field. This is a great model, that we can produce a game like this.
“It’s a big win for us because this is not an average Bulls team or a Bulls team in crisis.
“The Bulls are a team with momentum and real class, well-led and well-organised.”
Dobson said pressure had been mounting on his side ahead of the Loftus showdown.
“We were under a lot of pressure after having started the competition unbeaten.
“What we were doing was being defined by social media users.
“So this is probably our most important win in Pretoria, and one of our most dominant up here. I think we are at about 50%.
“The SA derbies are different from the other league games, and we are used to a bit more success than we have had this season.
“A game like this, I was so impressed with how we contained our seriously good Springboks.”
Stormers captain Ruhan Nel said his team had shown resilience when they were reduced to 13 players.
“I think our patience on the field was exceptional,” he said.
“The Bulls have so many attacking threats and Springboks.
“At one stage I was looking up and saw Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Handré Pollard and then when they brought on Willie le Roux I was thinking, ‘flip, we’re playing the Springbok backline!’”
“I think the patience we showed when we were 13 on the field was a real sign of maturity as well.
“Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Warrick Gelant controlled that really well.”
Scorers:
Bulls 19: Tries: Penalty try (worth five points), Zak Burger, Kurt-Lee Arendse. Conversion: Handré Pollard.
Stormers 32: Tries Damian Willemse, Paul de Villiers, penalty try, Hacjivah Dayimani. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2. Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2.
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