Staff Reporter.
The DHL Stormers made it back-to-back wins in the north/south rivalry for this Vodacom United Rugby Championship season by thwarting a late Bulls fightback and prevailing 19-17 in a tense and tight derby at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
The crucial win places the Stormers in pole position in the South African conference and draws John Dobson’s team level with fourth-placed Munster on 47 points.
A hard-fought first half had both teams level at three a piece before Hacjivah Dayimani produced a moment of magic from Deon Fourie’s break upfield to give the Stormers a 10-3 lead just before the break.
The Bulls fired back early in the second half when Zak Burger broke the line from a breakdown, passed to Cornal Hendricks, who put rookie wing Canan Moodie over for a try.
While the Stormers were not clinical with their try-scoring opportunities, Mannie Libbok and Damien Willemse both contributed three-pointers to give the home side a nine-point lead going into the final 10 minutes.
That would prove to be vital as, after a lengthy review, Dayimani was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Kurt-Lee Arendse when the Bulls fullback broke from a poor clearance and looked destined to score.
Neverthess, Elrigh Louw scored under the poles to put a nervous finish on the game. However, the Stormers were able to pin the Bulls in their 22 with some excellent tactical kicking, trusting their defence to see the game out, which it did as the Bulls gave away a penalty for obstruction, allowing the hosts to clear the ball into touch and claim the win.
Scorers
DHL Stormers 19 – Try: Hacjivah Dayimani; Conversion: Manie Libbok; Penalties: Manie Libbok 2; Drop-goal: Damian Willemse.
Vodacom Bulls 17 – Tries: Canan Moodie and Elrigh Louw; Conversions: Chris Smith and Morne Steyn; Penatly: Morne Steyn.
Meanwhile the rain and soft underfoot made it an impossible task to create a rugby spectacle, but nevertheless the Cell C Sharks were clinical in their execution as they made the most of a muddy patch to beat the Emirates Lions 37-10 in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match in Durban on Saturday.
Scorers
Cell C Sharks – tries: Gerbrandt Grobler, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bongi Mbonambi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4). Penalties: Bosch (3).
Emirates Lions – try: Henco van Wyk. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse. Penalty: Hendrikse.