United Rugby Championship: Five takeaways from the final as Stormers cap remarkable turnaround

A year ago, the Stormers were unsure as to whether they would be accepted into the newly-created United Rugby Championship due to the fiscal problems endured by Western Province Rugby. There was huge concern in the region, but they thankfully survived and have duly thrived on the field in 2021/22, winning the South African Shield and finishing second in the overall table before deservedly claiming the title. John Dobson has done a wonderful job as head coach and, although they have some outstanding individuals, it has very much been a collective effort.

There was a very promising start to the game when Harold Vorster surged across the whitewash for the Bulls early on but it descended into a dire clash for the rest of the half. It was perforated by errors as both teams struggled to get any continuity. At half-time it wasn’t exactly looking like the greatest end to what had been an otherwise excellent season, but that changed after the break. All of a sudden, some action broke out, the Stormers in particular started to create chances and it turned into a much more watchable contest.

While it was scrappy in the opening period, the visitors very much had the upper hand. In typical Jake White fashion, the Bulls managed to have a stranglehold on the game, forcing the hosts into mistakes and controlling the forward exchanges. That turned around in the second period, however, and the home team managed to get talented youngster Evan Roos into the match. The Stormers got over the gain line, started to have joy with their maul and, as a result, the visitors began to go into reverse.

The score was tied at 10-10 when the centre was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle and with him off the field, the Stormers immediately benefited. They