Stormers in URC pound seats after edging Bulls

The Stormers put themselves firmly in the pound seats ahead of their United Rugby Championship run-in as they clinched a tight 19-17 win over the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium over the weekend.

It was a massive battle between the two in-form South African teams, which went all the way down to the wire with the Stormers emerging victorious.

It was their second win over the Bulls this season and moved them up to fifth on the URC log, level on points with Munster in fourth, and effectively sealed their place in the competition playoffs.

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“To beat the Bulls home and away is a great achievement. The game turned out to be a massive arm wrestle and we probably didn’t get where we wanted to in terms of the game flow,” said Stormers coach John Dobson.

“But there were patches where we showed our intent and there were definitely signs that made me happy.

“So I am pleased with where we are standing. We were largely written off by our opposition earlier in the competition, so what we want to do is qualify for Europe and be in the (URC) playoffs and we are now in a great position to do that.”

Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff was also happy with the performance from his charges, likening the clash to an international game.

“It felt like a Test match. Two very good packs going flat out at each other, so it was a very patchy game. But you saw the intent. Every scrum, every maul was a big physical battle and was a tough one, but the guys stood up well and we fought our way through,” said Kitshoff.

Controversial decision

Towards the end of the match a controversial call was made on Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani, who ended the game as Man-of-the-Match, after a swinging arm high tackle on Bulls fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse eventually saw him yellow carded.

Dayimani admitted after the game he thought he was in for a red card, while the decision left Bulls coach Jake White rather bemused with how it was handled.

“How do you get a yellow card for a head-high tackle with an open try line? From there, you worry about the knock-on. Of course he knocked it on. When you whack a guy around the neck, of course he’ll knock it on,” said White.

“We scored anyway and he got a yellow card. When you rewind the game, you’d pick up certain things and hope that a red card was given.

“I’ve gotten older and wiser the more I’ve coached, so I won’t be throwing my toys. We’re still in the tournament, which is alive and kicking. There’s a lot of rugby to be played.”