Bulls vs Stormers

Follow Bulls vs Stormers United Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld from 17:05 with live updates.

“It’s not a do-or-die game for us. ALSO READ:

The DHL Stormers had to dig deep but ultimately they showed enough composure to beat the Vodacom Bulls by 23-19 (half-time 13-12) in a Vodacom United Rugby ...

Penalty goals: Libbok (2). Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalty goals: Chris Smith (4).

The DHL Stormers extended the Vodacom Bulls - and their Director of Rugby Jake White's misery with a fifth consecutive Vodacom United Rugby Championship win ...

This is the second time the Bulls have gone to extra lengths in the build-up against the Stormers and the second time they have lost. But despite that they were behind on the scoreboard - with Chris Smith’s four penalties being overtaken by a superb pass by Herschelle Jantjies that found a gaping hole on the wing where normally a defender would have been, for Theunissen to be gifted an easy run in. One is their lack of a defence coach - something that became increasingly apparent when Theunissen scored his try and the wing defence was nowhere to be seen. While the usual suspects were all the rage between Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie, it was the fringe players who made a massive difference. The statistics put those numbers perfectly into perspective when they tell a story of 186 Stormers tackles made, and only one try breaching their defensive line. And they had plenty of ball to play with.

The DHL Stormers snapped the Vodacom Bulls' 12-game winning streak in Pretoria on Saturday evening with a fifth successive Vodacom United Rugby Championship ...

Another penalty came from the subsequent maul set by the hosts, but the second maul attempt was better defended by the Stormers. Flyhalf Manie Libbok kicked the conversion to go along with an early penalty to take the Stormers to within a point of the Bulls. [February 18, 2023]

It was a dramatic finish, with the Bulls having several chances to close out a victory, but the renowned tenacity of the Stormers was again on display at ...

Penalties: Libbok (2). Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalties: Chris Smith (4).

The Stormers beat the Bulls for the fifth successive time in the URC, while Connacht and the Sharks also sealed wins over Zebre and the Lions respectively.

A stunning return to Loftus for Sbu Nkosi as the winger scores his first try of the season! Scrum-half Herschel Jantjies floated a long pass out to the left wing, where the unmarked number eight Marcel Theunissen had a clear run to the line. What a welcome back by his home crowd in Pretoria! [Click here for teams and scorers](https://www.planetrugby.com/europe-united-rugby-championship-bulls-vs-stormers/2023-02-18/2201658/overview) The story of a first half that finished 7-7 was the Lions’ inability to capitalise on their dominance of territory and possession as fly-half Gianni Lombard missed three routine shots at goal. Tierney-Martin claimed a second maul try with backs, this time joining in as Connacht again looked to their set-piece to make the breakthrough. Libbok’s drop-goal in the 72nd minute further extended the Stormers’ lead and the visitors were able to withstand a late onslaught from the Bulls to claim a nail-biting victory. With their tails up, the Stormers appeared set to add to their tally, and the Bulls suffered a further setback when full-back David Kriel was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on as Neethling Fouche looked to put Du Plessis in down the left. Libbok added the extras with a superb touchline conversion, and the Springbok was also on target in the final minute of the half as the Stormers went ahead for the first time at 13-12, a lead they held at the break. There was a check for a forward pass in the build-up, but the TMO saw no offence, and the try was allowed to stand. The Bulls will have been disappointed to have trailed at half-time, having held the upper hand for much of the first half, but they found themselves on the back foot at the start of the second period as the Stormers pushed for more points under the Pretoria rain. As the scoreline suggests, the clash between last season’s finalists was a tense affair, but the Stormers held on for the win – their fifth successive one over their arch-rivals – to claim the spoils.

The Bulls and Stormers will be facing off in the United Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld Stadium starting at 5:05 PM, as pictured by Ryan Wilkisky/ ...

[Damian Willemse](https://nnn.ng/urc-live-scores-bulls-vs-stormers/#Damian Willemse) [](https://nnn.ng/hausa/#=nija hausa) [](https://nnn.ng/i/#=ur shortner) Finally, Morne Steyn and Lionel Mapoe finished up the substitutions.

Stormers coach John Dobson said that he was 'very proud of the character' shown by his team to defend for their lives in closing out a memorable 23-19 ...

But I think we were defending so well – it was not as if kick-space was a threat – so we could probably put in an extra player in the line, and it paid off for us. “At 12-3 down, we had a scrum down in the right-hand corner, and Brokkie got us a penalty. But we talked about it all week – they would be up after the first 20 minutes, because it’s in front of their home crowd and they’ve got a lot to play for. “It was just the silly mistakes, and we didn’t get into their half once. We knew the level of motivation for this game, and knew that the first 20 to 30 minutes would be tough,” Dobson said on Saturday night. according to the stats](/sport/rugby/urc/lions-look-to-be-heading-to-another-defeat-according-to-the-stats-877e2cb9-e16d-4883-8abb-b592ff35c0bf)

IOL Sport's Leighton Koopman looks at five standouts from the United Rugby Championship clash that saw the Stormers claim a famous 23-19 victory at Fort ...

But it was replacement tighthead prop Sazi Sandi who made a crucial turnover similar to Fourie in front of the try line. And that's the one thing coach John Dobson asked of his team for Saturday - to scramble on defence when it's needed. That is what you want to hear at local matches although the stadium DJ tried his best to drown out the crowd with loud music. Bulls flags dominated the stadium but the support for the Stormers were not far behind. It was a typical North-South derby between the Bulls and Stormers in Pretoria on Saturday. For a South African derby, it was brilliant to see Loftus Versfeld packed with almost 42 000 supporters, a new record URC attendance in the southern hemisphere.

The Stormers won for a fifth successive time against the Vodacom Bulls. They won because they are a better team, but they won, despite the obvious ...

This isn’t just an issue for South Africa and the #URC league, but it is an issue for the game globally. They won, despite the efforts of the Bulls, coached by one of the best in the world in Jake White. Watching the Stormers v Bulls evoked every one of those emotions and it was unfair. The players delivered; the match officials did not. The Stormers won for a fifth successive time against the Vodacom Bulls. But John Dobson has beaten his teams, home and away, five times in row.

41 205 supporters turned up at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as the Bulls clashed with the Stormers in an encounter that broke a few attendence records.

"I don’t think it was just 41,000 Bulls supporters. This was also the biggest attendance for a Bulls home game since 2009!?? Not only was it the highest ever attendance for a URC match in the southern hemisphere, but it was also the highest attendance for a Bulls home game since 2009!

The DHL Stormers had to dig deep but ultimately they showed enough composure to beat the Vodacom Bulls by 23-19 (half-time 13-12) in a Vodacom United Rugby ...

Penalty goals: Libbok (2). Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalty goals: Chris Smith (4).