Sparkling Stormers rock Bulls in Cape Town epic, make URC title statement as 30 000 roar

At DHL Stadium

The circumstances were unique as rugby rocked Cape Town just two days before Christmas, but the brutal battle between the Stormers and the Bulls on Friday night was all too familiar. 

This was an epic, eventually won 37-27 by the Stormers, but it was ding-dong stuff throughout as both sides threw absolutely everything at each other. 

The crowd of 30 000 was superb, roaring from start to finish, and the Bulls did excellently to fight back to 13-13 at half-time despite playing 20 of those 40 minutes with 14 men after yellow cards to Marco van Staden and then Elrigh Louw. 

AS IT HAPPENED | Stormers v Bulls

At that point, it was anybody's game, and it would have taken a brave punter to make a call either way. 

In the end, a second-half blitz from the Stormers saw them score three stunning tries in five minutes that got them comfortably over the line and provided a deafening reminder of why they are the United Rugby Championship champions. 

That crazy period - between the 49th and 53rd minutes - was a treat for the Capetonians that had arrived in full voice on this warm, colourful evening that will be remembered fondly for a long time in these parts. 

Manie Libbok dazzled, Suleiman Hartzenberg arrived, Leolin Zas danced and skipped his way to a brilliant individual try, and throughout all of that, the Bulls had no answer. 

The result leaves the Stormers 2nd on the URC log and they have now beaten the Bulls four times in a row in this competition. 

From almost the first whistle, the spice that makes this one of the fiercest rivalries in world rugby was evident.

"I'm glad that's out the system," said referee AJ Jacobs, just 80 seconds into the clash, after a good-old-fashioned 'argy bargy' had seen both packs of forwards