Arm-wrestling Stormers see off desperate Bulls to record North/South URC double

At Loftus Versfeld

The Stormers came, saw and conquered a packed Loftus Versfeld, but only just, as they scored a priceless 23-19 win against the Bulls on Saturday to secure a second consecutive United Rugby Championship double.

It was a tense North/South derby that was also Morne Steyn's 150th URC/Super Rugby game for the Bulls.

Yet even his best galvanising efforts as a second-half sub weren't enough as Manie Libbok proved to be the better pivot.

The Stormers, while not as accurate as they would've liked, showed better defensive composure, especially in the last five minutes as the Bulls desperately sought a much-needed win.

The Stormers recorded their 10th URC win in 14 games this season while the Bulls slipped to a sixth defeat, but their first at home.

A Southern hemisphere URC record crowd of 41205 gave the game a much-need gravitas, even though they were much quieter and far less hostile than in previous years and less inclined to sing compared to the full houses that packed out the two games Mamelodi Sundowns hosted here against Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

That said, this game never even tried to be a spectacle.

After all, North/South derbies never have pretentions to providing entertainment.

The half-time score was as misleading as an insurance advert. with the Bulls doing the bulk of the playing, but it was the Stormers who made the bigger scoring moves.

While it was still dry in the first half, the Bulls kept the ball as much as they could though on a cool, humid and - in the second half - wet day that didn't quite allow for that type of expansive rugby.

With Jacques du Plessis in tow at lock, the Bulls did certainly ask the physical questions their mentor Jake White expected of them.

They weren't being asked