The DHL Stormers made history when they beat the Vodacom Bulls 18-13 during the inaugural Vodacom URC final in Cape Town to become the first team, as well as the first Southern Hemisphere team to win this competition.
The all-South African inaugural URC final promised to be a very tightly contested battle and it did not disappoint. Both teams came out with their guns blazing at the start of the match.
The Bulls drew first blood within the first 3 minutes when they scored a converted try. However, the match then settled into a very tight arm wrestle between the two teams for possession and territory which kept on changing hands. Both teams used their forwards to carry the ball, as well as driving mauls to try and get across the advantage line, varying their play with tactical kicks.
The Bulls managed to attack into the Stormers' half on a few occasions early in the half, however, the ball was turned over every time by the solid Stormers' defence, which forced the Bulls to concede penalties at the breakdowns. The Stormers in turn managed to attack into the Bulls' quarter late in the half, however, the Bulls' defence only allowed them to score 3 points from a penalty kick. The half saw rugby played at a frenetic pace and the halftime score was 07-03 in favour of the Bulls.
The Stormers drew first blood within the first 5 minutes of the second half when they scored a converted try. They then relentlessly attacked the Bulls in their half by playing the ball at pace with both their forward and backline players. The Bulls were given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle and the Stormers capitalised on this by scoring another try, taking the lead on the scoreboard for the first time in the match.
The momentum of the match then swung in favour of the Stormers who enjoyed more possession and territory, as well as attacking opportunities in the Bulls' quarter. They used tactical kicks to successfully put the Bulls under attacking pressure. They increased their lead with a drop kick late in the half and won the match 18-13.
02:11 The Bulls centre Harold Vorster crashed over the try line after a driving maul from a penalty lineout in the Stormers' quarter. The try was converted by Chris Smith (07-00).
20:00 The Bulls drew first blood within the first 3 minutes when they scored a converted try. Both teams used their forwards to carry the ball as well as driving mauls to try and get across the advantage line, varying their play with tactical kicks. The possession and territory kept on changing hands and most of the play took place in the middle of the field. The Bulls managed to attack into the Stormers' half on three occasions, however, the ball was turned over every time by the solid Stormers' defence.
40:00 A penalty was given against the Bulls in their quarter for offside play. The penalty was kicked by Manie Libbok (07-03).
40:00 The high-tempo rugby and very tight arm wrestle between the two teams continued with the Stormers attacking into the Bulls' quarter for the first time after 31 minutes however the Bulls absorbed the pressure. The Stormers again attacked into the Bulls' quarter during the last 2 minutes of the half and were awarded 3 points from a penalty kick for their efforts.
41:50 A penalty was given against the Stormers in their quarter. The penalty was kicked by Chris Smith (10-03).
44:10 Evan Roos scored a try after the ball was quickly down the backline from a Stormers' scrum in the Bulls' quarter. The try was converted by Manie Libbok (10-10).
55:25 Cornal Hendricks from the Bulls received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
56:40 Andre-Hugo Venter scored a try for the Stormers from a driving maul from a penalty lineout in the Bulls' quarter. The conversion was unsuccessful (10-15).
60:00 The Stormers drew first blood in the second half when they scored a converted try very early in the half. They continued to apply relentless pressure on the Bulls and were awarded another try for their efforts capitalising on a yellow card awarded to the Bulls.
63:21 A penalty was given against the Stormers in their quarter. The penalty was kicked by Chris Smith (13-15).
74:06 Manie Libbok kicked a drop goal for the Stormers (13-18).
Scorers:
DHL Stormers: Tries: Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Manie Libbok. Penalties: Manie Libbok. Drop goal: Manie Libbok
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Harold Vorster. Conversions: Chris Smith. Penalties: Chris Smith (2)
Teams:
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Steven Kitshoff (c). Replacements: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Sacha Mngomezulu
Vodacom Bulls: 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14. Canan Moodie, 13. Cornal Hendricks, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Madosh Tambwe, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Izak Burger, 8. Elrigh Louw, 7. Arno Botha, 6. Marcell Coetzee (c), 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Walt Steenkamp, 3. Mornay Smith, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16. Bismark du Plessis, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Robert Hunt, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. WJ Steenkamp, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Morné Steyn, 23. David Kriel.
Article by Francois du Toit
