Dobson pleased as punch after Stormers rain on Bulls’ parade

It was never going to enter the realm of spectacle given the treacherous conditions but the 19-16 scoreline would have been a sight for sore eyes for the Stormers as they downed the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

They played in the wet conditions with more authority but it was also their collective toil, particularly in defence, that helped set them apart.

The Stormers appeared up for the fight from the opening play from which they drew a penalty, and that mongrel mentality stood them in good stead for the rest of the evening.

“It was our fight,” said Stormers director of rugby John Dobson. “We just fought and fought for every scrap, every point. That was the most pleasing thing.”

They did so from the back foot having again come off second best to the Bulls in the scrum. Though they were heavily penalised in that facet they absorbed that pressure and ultimately rode out the storm.

“The scrum was a high focus point this week,” said Dobson. “I was disappointed with the number of penalties we gave away at the scrum. They took our soul in the Cape Town game so it was a massive focus.

“They did not get that dominance they got in Cape Town. If you’re getting destroyed in the scrum you lose all your energy. It was a huge thing this week for us to absorb that pressure as well as their big carriers off nine. For some reason it didn’t come off [for the Bulls].

Crucially however, in conditions that demanded it, the Stormers decisively won the aerial battle. They had the steadier line-out, and were more assured under the high ball.

“Jurie Matthee is an unheralded guy but in those conditions he did a really good job,” said Dobson of his flyhalf.

In fact, it was from a Matthee contestable that the Stormers scored what proved to be the match-winning try when Wandisile Simelane used his soccer skills to breach the Bulls defence.

Dobson had equal praise for scrumhalf Stefan Ungerer.

“Stef Ungerer is exceptional. I think he is one of the best kicking nines in the country. We are yet to see the best of him.”

Of course the gains they made there would not have been possible without the enormous toil the Stormers forwards had to undertake. No 8 Evan Roos was man of the match for his wholehearted effort. “Evan isn’t what he was two years ago. The hot-headed element is not there. He is so well marked and he still does all the yeoman work.

“He is not getting the crazy breaks he did a while ago but he just carries and works, and cleans. He is a much more mature player. It’s a tough job because he is getting double tackled all the time.”

The win snapped a three-match losing sequence and earned the Stormers four precious log points. It strengthens their play-off ambitions.

When they return to action in three weeks the Stormers will be on tour to the Scarlets and Ulster before a home run of four games.

“That should put us properly in the mix,” said Dobson. “We had to win two of the four [derbies] to get into the top six. You don’t really want to finish eighth because then you are away to a fully loaded Aviva Stadium to play Leinster. I think it is too late for a home play-off.”

Dobson was bullish about the remainder of their league programme. By the time they tour Wales and Northern Ireland he is expecting several injured players to return to the fray.