The Stormers ran in four tries to the Bulls’ two as they secured a 37-27 victory in a replay of last season’s United Rugby Championship final.

While the final last season saw just three tries scored, the clash in Cape Town produced a far more open match in South Africa’s greatest local rivalry.

The scores were level at half-time after a pair of penalties from fly-half Manie Libbok for the Stormers and a penalty try, while flanker Nizaam Carr scored a try for the Bulls, with Johan Goosen adding the conversion and two penalties.

Hooker Joseph Dweba, centre Suleiman Hartzenberg and wing Leolin Zas all scored second-half tries for the defending champions, with Libbok adding three conversions and a penalty.

Flanker Marco van Staden and replacement hooker Bismarck du Plessis scored for the Bulls, Goosen and Chris Smit adding a conversion apiece.

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The Bulls’ discipline cost them in the match’s opening stages, with two soft penalties giving the hosts a 6-0 lead. Flanker Van Staden was then yellow carded for a high tackle in the 12th minute, and the Stormers looked to take advantage as Dayimani came close to scoring a try, only to be denied. 

While the Bulls managed to keep the Stormers at bay while van Staden was off the pitch, once he returned, their discipline did not get any better as Elrigh Louw pulled down a driving maul and was adjudged to have stopped a possible try. For his actions, he was yellow-carded, and the hosts were awarded a penalty try. 

Just two minutes later, the Bulls struck back after Harold Vorster made a break off a superb line and from there, Goosen produced a pinpoint crosskick that Carr got on the end of to score. 

Despite being down a man for half of the opening 40 minutes, the Bulls managed to go into the interval all square after Goosen slotted a penalty from right out in front. A late flurry of penalties gave the Stormers one final sniff at points before the break, but the Bulls held firm and claimed a lineout steal to go into the break at 13 points apiece.

Libbok missed an early chance in the second half to extend the Stormers’ lead from the tee, but his miss meant little as the hosts enjoyed a stellar 15-minute passage of dominance, running in three tries to extend their lead to 34-13.

Dweba crashed over from close range after yet another superb attacking phase, and just two minutes later, Hartzenberg finished off one of the tries of the season. 

Dayimani and Ben-Jason Dixon linked up in the Stormers’ 22 before Libbok and Damian Willemse combined to get the ball wide to Angelo Davids and finally an inside ball to Hartzenberg, who put the finishing touches on a wonderful score.

Libbok tore through the Bulls’ defence for the third try before throwing a long pass out to Leolin Zas. The winger received the ball flat-footed but brilliantly beat four defenders and fended a fifth to score another outstanding effort in the 54th minute.

The Bulls fought back, and Van Staden rumbled over the line from close range after a period of sustained pressure inside the Stormers’ 22 to set up a tense final quarter as the Bulls trailed 34-20.

A successful penalty goal pushed the Cape side back into a 17-point lead and stalled any chance of a late comeback from the Bulls. The visitors did manage a consolation try as a brilliant penalty kick from Chris Smith gave them a lineout 5m from the tryline. From there, the pack powered towards the whitewash, with Du Plessis dotting down. 

The Bulls attempted to run it from deep to grab a losing bonus point, but the Stormers held firm to seal the win. 

Makazole Mapimpi scores twice in Sharks win

The Sharks put on a show for the 26,000 fans packed into the Kings Park Stadium on Friday afternoon, scoring five tries to defeat the Lions 37-10.

Winger Makazole Mapimpi and full-back Boeta Chamberlain scored tries in the opening 15 minutes, Curwin Bosch converting the first, before the Lions hit back through Edwill van der Merwe’s try, converted by Jordan Hendrikse, to trail 12-7 at half-time.

Bosch and Hendrikse converted penalties in the second half before tries from scrum-half Grant Williams, flanker Siya Kolisi and a second from Mapimpi saw the hosts secure the bonus-point victory, with Bosch adding a conversion and Lionel Cronje a penalty and a conversion.

The Sharks rocketed into an early lead after dominating the match’s opening stages. A cut-out ball from Bosch to Rohan Janse van Rensburg saw the centre brush off the two Lions‘ defenders with his offload, giving Mapimpi a clear run to the corner for the opening try. Bosch added the extras to give the home side a 7-0 lead after 10 minutes.

It took just five minutes for the Sharks to add to their lead; full-back Chamberlain rounded off the score after some slick hands from Lukhanyo Am, who was making his first start since returning from injury, and Bosch five metres out from the tryline..

Van der Merwe was then gifted a try from the restart as Sharks flanker Jeandre Labuschagne dropped the ball cold, with the Lions winger pouncing to run in an easy try.

That would be the final change to the scoreline in the first half, as the hosts led 12-10 at half-time.

The start of the second half was far tighter as Bosch and Hendrikse traded penalties from the tee, with the Lions’ fly-half missing a second attempt in the 52nd minute.

Lions full-back Andries Coetzee had a kick charged down by Chamberlain, and Janse van Rensburg was quickest to react as he collected the ball and offloaded to Grant Williams. He sped into space and stepped past the cover defence to score his side’s third try, extending the Sharks’ buffer to 12 points.

Cronje came off the bench to slot a long-range penalty with his first action in the match. Soon after, the Sharks looked to have scored their bonus-point try through Kerron van Vuuren only for it to be chalked off due to a long-arm transfer when setting the maul.

They didn’t take long to lock in the bonus point as Kolisi charged over the line on the wing after a flowing attacking move from the hosts. Jaden Hendrikse took a drop goal attempt at the conversion, which he missed, as the Sharks opened up a 20-point lead.

Mapimpi pounced on a loose ball and showed off his footballing skills to run in his second brace in as many games at Kings Park Stadium. His try was converted by Cronje in what would be the final change to the scoreboard.

Jaden Hendrikse was shown a yellow for slapping the ball out of the Lions’ scrum-half’s hands, but the visitors failed to capitalise as the Durban outfit ran out easy victors.

The South African sides are back in action one more time before the end of the year, with the Sharks hosting Bulls on New Year’s Eve while the Lions head to Cape Town. 

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