The monsoon-like weather didn’t aid their cause, but the Bulls had the Stormers on the ropes at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, and just couldn’t land the knockout punch.
And that is what disappointed coach Jake White the most in the aftermath of their 19-16 United Rugby Championship defeat to their fierce Cape rivals.
The heavy rain and lightning that cause a delay of over an hour resulted in a sodden pitch, which had already been affected by the bad weather in Gauteng in recent weeks.
So, it was somewhat understandable that the Bulls opted for David Kriel to aim at the posts more often than not instead of kicking to the corner and setting up a lineout.
But the front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw were eventually rewarded with penalties in their scrum battle royale with Stormers trio Ali Vermaak, Joseph Dweba and Neethling Fouché.
However, the Stormers forwards climbed in with ferocity in general play, with the likes of Salmaan Moerat, Dweba and Evan Roos putting in massive hits in defence and strong carries on attack.
HTS Louis Botha Alum Joseph “Dancing” Dweba bringing the va-va-vroom for the @dhlstormers 🕺@vodacom #URC | #BULvSTO #OriginRound #GrassrootsToGreatness pic.twitter.com/1xMoDgR2Kv
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) March 1, 2025
Perhaps that influenced the Bulls’ decision-making in taking shots at goal, and it may have cost them in the end as centre Wandisile Simelane scored the winning try with 12 minutes left.
“When the Sharks lost to the Lions, we just needed a win (to secure the SA Shield). All the other games we’ve played, if we got those same penalties in the game, we would’ve gone to the corner,” White said.
“And in hindsight, we went three, six, nine... Maybe we should’ve been braver in the first half and put them under pressure in the corners.
“But that’s easier said when you look back at the game. At 65 minutes and we were leading because of that try, then everything would’ve been almost the way we planned it.
“It’s not a case of the captain (making the wrong decisions). We’ve got Willie (le Roux), Nizaam (Carr), (captain Reinhardt) Ludwig and David Kriel to come together every time and go ‘What do you think? Should we go for it, should we go for the corner?’.
“I’ve got to trust them too. I can’t (tell them what to do)... If I sit on the roof and put up an orange light or green light, then I’m not really being fair to them.
“I’m not for one minute (feeling) doom and gloom. We had our chance and probably shot ourselves in the foot – we can’t blame anybody.
“That’s the first time we’ve down 3-0 early on. We were always in the lead before, and it was a bit strange compared to the other games against the Stormers, and we had to play catch-up.
TRY! The @Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby cross the line and take the lead in a slippery battle at Loftus 👀#BULvSTO | @Vodacom #URC | #OriginRound pic.twitter.com/9WS12A6cKY
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) March 1, 2025
“Maybe we should’ve been more brave earlier on and kick in the corner, and then your lineout works better because you are throwing-in more often.”
White, though, was still positive about the Bulls’ chances of winning the URC title.
They now have a two-week break before hosting Irish giants Leinster at Loftus Versfeld on March 22, and are still third on the log on 41 points – three behind Glasgow, who lost 32-31 to the Ospreys on Saturday night.
Leinster, though, are well in charge on 57 points.
“We are probably going to have to play the semi-final and final away from home. These derbies are tough, and we got 17 points in the derbies – which is four wins and bonus point out of six derbies, which is not a bad return,” White said.
How about that gas from Wandisile Simelane 😲💣
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 1, 2025
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/hgShQiBtco
“But we are going to have to get better at home. We had points in the bag and had a chance to win, and we could have gone further ahead of the other teams.
“But Glasgow and Munster had to travel for their finals and won.