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Chink in Bulls’ armour gives struggling Stormers some hope for vital Loftus showdown

Chink in Bulls’ armour gives struggling Stormers some hope for vital Loftus showdown
Sazi Sandi of DHL Stormers tackled by Francois Klopper of the Vodacom Bulls during the United Rugby Championship match between DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls at DHL Stadium on February 08, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)
Jon Cardinelli
By Jon Cardinelli
26 Feb 2025
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The Stormers will win the north-south derby and revive their United Rugby Championship playoff hopes if they exploit the Bulls’ erratic defence at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Stormers have a mountain to climb, in the context of their next match staged at Loftus Versfeld and with regards to their quest to qualify for the United Rugby Championship playoffs.

The tide has turned in the long rivalry between the Cape side and the Bulls, with the latter winning the last two derbies. And as things stand, the Bulls are expected to extend that run to three matches in Pretoria this Saturday.

North-south derby bragging rights aside, this is a massive fixture that could shape the remainder of the URC campaign.

The Bulls will be determined to finish their derby schedule with a victory that consolidates their position (third) in the standings, and boosts their bid for a home playoff.

Meanwhile, the Stormers are desperate to halt their four-match losing streak across all competitions, and secure a win that propels them into the top half of the URC table.

Bigger picture highlights South African decline


It’s been an underwhelming season to date for all South African clubs.

While the Bulls and Sharks (fourth) could yet host a URC playoff, and while one of the Stormers or Lions (12th) may yet qualify for the knockouts of that regional competition, the combined win-records across the competitions make for sober reading.

Taking the failed Champions Cup campaign into account as well as the URC league fixtures, the Bulls have won 60% of their matches, the Sharks 57% and the Stormers 33%. The Lions have recorded a 50% win-record across both the Challenge Cup and URC.

Stormers Bulls Warrick Gelant on the charge for the Stormers during their United Rugby Championship match against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on 8 February 2025. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)



The respective coaches have rotated their squads at specific stages of the season, and this has had a bearing on results as well as scorelines.

At this point, the South African clubs are more focused on finishing in the top eight of the URC and qualifying for the next Champions Cup than launching a serious assault on the elite European title. Given the challenges around travel and the neverending schedule, one can understand why.

That said, the current block of URC derbies has showcased inconsistencies across the board. While each of the four local sides has sustained injury setbacks, the overall game management and goal-kicking has left a lot to be desired.

Bulls fire and fade


As their overall record suggests, the Bulls have struggled to maintain physical and tactical momentum from week to week, and have also developed a mental tendency to drift in and out of contests.

They’ve been the best-performing South African team this season, and yet, you have to wonder if they will challenge the likes of Leinster or Glasgow Warriors for the URC title at the back end of the competition.

After racing to an early lead in the first north-south derby in Cape Town, they lost control of the contest, and allowed the Stormers to score four tries. If Clayton Blommetjies had slotted the final conversion, they would have lost that fixture.

The Bulls had their chances in the subsequent clash against the Sharks at Loftus – and were helped by the fact that the opposition was reduced to 13 players at one stage – but a second-half lapse proved their undoing, and they slumped to a 29-19 loss.

The most recent performance against the Lions in Pretoria followed a similar pattern. The Bulls scored 17 points without reply, and then took their foot off the pedal.

Mafura Mafura of the Lions and Werner Kok of Ulster during their United Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 28 September 2024. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)



The Lions hit back in the period before and after time, and had a few more passes gone to hand, they may have completed a famous comeback. As it was, the Bulls hung on for a 31-19 bonus-point win that papered over a few cracks.

If the Bulls crack on to beat the Stormers this week, they will finish this block of derbies with three wins in four games, and take some momentum into the next phase of the season.

Following a two-week bye, they will host Leinster – who are unlikely to be at full strength – and perennial stragglers Zebre Parma, before commencing their Challenge Cup playoff campaign in Europe.

But if they lose to the Stormers, they may relinquish their position of strength on the table. If the Sharks beat the Lions twice over the next two weeks, they will move ahead of the Bulls in the standings. Given that they’re set to welcome back a host of Boks in the near future, they may also replace the Bulls as the South African frontrunner for the URC title.

Exploiting a weakness


The Stormers have been ravaged by injuries, and like the Bulls, have had more than their fair share of game management and goal-kicking issues.

It would be a big ask for a young side to win at Loftus this Saturday, but as outlined above, there is more than one reason to believe that the Bulls are there for the taking.

The Stormers would have to buck the trend of spurning scoring opportunities – and they may be boosted in this department by the return of one or two stars.

Francois Venter of the Sharks clatters into a Stormers tackle during their United Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on 30 December 2023. (Photo: Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images)



Sazi Sandi of the Stormers is tackled by the Bulls’ Francois Klopper during their URC match in Cape Town on 8 February 2025. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)



They’ve had two weeks to prepare for this game and should be physically and mentally fresh. By contrast, the Bulls will play their fourth derby in as many weeks and may be compromised in what should be another lung-busting encounter.

What’s more, the Stormers are playing for a lot more than four or five log points. They’ve lost four games in a row, and another defeat may serve as a hammer blow to their playoff hopes.

They’ve already been eliminated from the Champions Cup – and unlike the Bulls and Sharks, they won’t have a second crack at Europe via the Challenge Cup in early April and beyond.

After the derby at Loftus, the Stormers will have a two-week break. In short, they will be playing for their season this Saturday and throwing absolutely everything they have at the Bulls.

North-south derbies never fail to captivate, and the animosity between coaches Jake White and John Dobson has added another layer to the Bulls-Stormers story in recent times.

The next chapter will be particularly intriguing, given that one team will have a point to prove and the other will be scrapping for survival. DM

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