URC: Mind the gap... Stormers' SA superiority only deepening

News24 Sport chief writer

Retention of the South African Shield – a more meaningful domestic honour to bag nowadays than an ever more watered-down Currie Cup – for 2022/23 is almost a fait accompli for the sprightly Stormers.

Following their rousing, successive away URC derby wins over fellow heavyweights the Sharks and Bulls, John Dobson's outfit have opened a virtually unassailable lead over nearest challengers in the four-team SA group.

Saturday's gutsy and cool-headed 23-19 victory over the Bulls, before a baying Loftus crowd of more than 41,000, not only extended the Pretoria side’s hoodoo in the tournament to five matches against their arch-rivals, but made it highly unlikely the Capetonians will be caught for the Shield.

The Bulls held the aces for generous portions of the full-blooded derby, but their guests kept winning the really key moments; the classical mark of a quality side and defending URC champions.

Former Loftus icons were, significantly, effusive in their praise of the Stormers' triumph afterwards.

"It shows the class in the Stormers team (that they could win) … after being under so much early pressure," noted most-capped Springbok Victor Matfield in the SuperSport studio.

Colleague Akona Ndungane, also a decorated Bulls player, concurred: "It was a show of character … they made two vital late steals even when Deon Fourie (later named player of the match) had left the field.

"They wanted it, even though the Bulls really needed it more than the Stormers did."

The visitors left with four log points, while the Bulls earned the consolation of a well-merited losing bonus point.

Had that 4-1 log points split gone the other way around on the day – many pundits understandably felt beforehand that it might, given the