Stormers defeat Bulls in rain-affected URC clash in Pretoria

The Stormers, with the backs to the wall, delivered a performance of pluck and courage to edge the Bulls 19-16 in this tight and tense United Rugby Championship encounter.

This was an unavoidably error ridden affair as the soggy field and wet ball far removed the match from the realm of spectacle.

It was a real battle of wills. The Stormers and the Bulls may be far removed on the points table but they were joined at the hip in their desire for precious log points. It was ultimately decided by the Stormers obdurate defence and their ability to absorb pressure, particularly at scrumtime.

The Bulls' inability to master the wet ball left them with something to lament, as did losing Marco van Staden just before the break.

Apart from the scrums, the Stormers didn't just stand their ground against the Bulls — they were combative and belligerent. Backrowers Evan Roos and Ben-Jason Dixon operated in the face of the Bulls.

Neethling Fouche and Ruben van Heerden put in honest shifts, while Deon Fourie applied his craft on or near the deck. In fact, it was the Stormers' all-hands-on-deck approach that got them through the first half. They made life difficult for the hosts in the lineout and they had the upper hand in the inevitable aerial kicking duel the conditions necessitated.

The kick-off was delayed by more than an hour and a quarter. As if their arrival was some kind of divine act, 20 or so minutes after the Stormers' bus driver pulled up the hand brake outside Loftus, it started raining — gently at first but within 10 minutes it was a torrential downpour.

Play is deemed unsafe if lightning strikes within a 10km radius of the stadium and there has to be a half an hour cease of this heavenly hostility for play to go ahead.

With so much rain making for soggy, uncertain underfoot conditions, the Bulls might have harboured the concern that they could not take full toll in the scrums. There was no need to.

From a scrumming perspective, on the evidence presented here and the weeks leading up to this fixture, one could make a compelling case for Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw being the Bok starting front row — if their was a Test next weekend.

Sure, they did well with the ball near the deck — but it was in the air where the Bulls played with far less authority. The Stormers applied pressure but the Bulls at times made it difficult for themselves, with excessive movement by their jumpers before Grobbelaar's feeds.

The Stormers extended that aerial advantage to their contestable kicks.

David Kriel handed his team a 9-6 with a penalty in the 27th which also marked the return for Le Roux but two Jurie Matthee penalties in the last 10 minutes of the first half gave them the advantage at the break.

Despite the introduction of the vastly experienced Bok tight head prop Frans Malherbe, the Stormers could not shake their blues in the scrum. Sustained pressure around the hour mark presented the hosts an opportunity to pounce and so they did when replacement lock Ruan Vermaak barged over under the crossbar.

The Stormers tellingly made their advantage in the air count when a Matthee contestable kick bounced favourably, allowing them another toe stab at the ball onward. Wandisile Simelane reacted first and outsprinted everyone to the bouncing ball.

Scorers

Bulls (9) 16 - Try: Ruan Vermaak. Conversion: David Kriel. Penalties: Kriel (3).

Stormers (12) 19 – Try: Wandisile Simelane. Conversion: Jurie Matthee. Penalties: Matthee (4).