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The Stormers ended their three-match losing streak over the weekend after beating the Vodacom Bulls 32-19 in the North-South derby at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
The rescheduled United Rugby Championship (URC) clash had a lot on the line with both sides still fighting to secure a playoff spot.
The Bulls were favourites heading into the clash after four wins on the bounce, while their counterparts found themselves under severe pressure.
ATR takes a look at just how the Stormers managed to orchestrate a potential season-defining win.
Big names make an impact:
The return of experienced players such as Neethling Fouché, Damian Willemse, and Ruhan Nel for the Stormers sparked them to life.
Willemse and Nel were the centre pairing in the match and made their presence felt almost immediately.
Fouché was also strong in the scrums, carried well, and disrupted the Bulls’ breakdown on several occasions.
The backline functioned much better with the experienced heads involved, and even though Willemse had to shift to fullback late in the game, he still put up a performance worthy of being named man of the match.
The versatile outback also capped off his return with a try in the first half. Nel, meanwhile, was as solid as a rock defensively and picked up the leadership duties where he left them.
It goes without saying that John Dobson would’ve been pleased with how some of his big names came through when needed the most.
The set-piece battle:
The Stormers scored four tries, had 47% ball possession, gained over 250 metres, and only had seven line breaks.
Those statistics may suggest they were on the back foot, but where they dominated was in the scrums and lineouts.
Their lineout success rate stood at 100% at the end of the match, having won all 17 of their throw-ins, compared to the Bulls, who lost three out of 10.
The Stormers also put their rolling maul to use and scored early in the second half when Paul de Villiers barged over. They were also awarded a penalty try after sustained pressure in the Bulls’ tryline.
In terms of set pieces, everything just clicked for Dobson’s side. They received most of their go-forward ball from set-piece situations and were rewarded with penalties, which Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted three of. The Bulls had no response. They were overpowered, outplayed, and left with some serious unanswered questions.
The kicking game:
While the Stormers used their forwards and backline to dominate the Bulls upfront, the kicking game was in full effect as well.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had come under scrutiny for his performances in past weeks, and he stepped up and looked close to his best again.
The side from Cape Town had 30 kicks in play, with a 57% success rate compared to the Bulls’ 20 kicks and 50% success rate.
They also kicked much better than the Bulls in terms of distance and putting it away. The Stormers accumulated 760 metres with the boot, and the Bulls, only 466.
Teams nowadays kick with intent and to retain their kicks. The Stormers did that well because they managed to get back six of their kicks and launched attacks from there on.
Dobson’s side weren’t just kicking to exit; they were intentional and pinned the Bulls in their own half on several occasions.