Evan Roos has been on the outer reaches of the Springbok squad in recent times, but he answered his critics with an eye-catching display in the Stormers’ 19-16 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Bustling No 8 Roos wasn’t able to face one of his main rivals for a Bok berth, Cameron Hanekom, as the Bulls star is injured.
But Roos helped to keep the Capetonians in the game when under pressure with crucial tackles and powerful carries, and then came up with the decisive effort in the second-last minute when he contested a breakdown and was rewarded with a penalty by referee Griffin Colby.
Massive shift from @evanroos4 and a crucial steal at the death 👏
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) March 1, 2025
He's your @Vodacom #MOTM 🏅#BULvSTO | @Vodacom #URC | #OriginRound pic.twitter.com/F4uXYsUx8Q
“I’m a bit tired! A long day, with the rain and all that. Just really blessed to be able to be part of that this – we owed these guys one after Cape Town (where the Bulls won 33-32 on February 8),” Roos told SuperSport TV in a post-match interview.
“I’m super proud of this coaching staff and the team, and all the back-room staff and everyone at home who made this week special and possible.
“I think we started well... We started quite shockingly in Cape Town.
“So, our whole focus this week was just to start fast, and just be in their faces for the full 80 minutes.
“We lacked that a few times, but I felt that we did that very well throughout the whole game.”
John Dobson’s Stormers side ended a four-match losing streak in fine style, staying in the fight in atrocious conditions at Loftus Versfeld, with the game delayed for well over an hour due to heavy rain and lightning.
The Capetonians were trailing 16-12 in the second half following Ruan Vermaak’s try for the Bulls, but centre Wandisile Simelane pounced on a loose ball from a Jurie Matthee up-and-under and kicked the ball forward before scoring what turned out to be the winning try.
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
The vital four log points also keep the Stormers’ playoff hopes in the United Rugby Championship alive. At the time of writing, they were still in 10th position, but on 28 points after 12 matches – the same as ninth-placed Scarlets and eighth-placed Lions, who beat the Sharks 38-14 earlier on Saturday.
“It’s hard to describe. That was a classic North-South Derby, could’ve gone either way,” Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat told SuperSport TV.
“Credit to the Bulls... They put us under a lot of pressure for long parts of that game, but geez, I’m very proud of my boys.
“It was a tussle, and we knew that it was going to be that way. Ultimately, really proud of the guts shown.
“The set-piece... The previous fixture, we weren’t really happy with our scrums in particular, our lineouts. We didn’t get as much reward, but we got the job done.
“I still feel there is a lot of room for improvement around our scrum and our lineout. But we’ll celebrate this one.
A big win in tough conditions away from home. Come on! #BULvSTO #iamastormer @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/BEV03ct5PX
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 1, 2025
“For any franchise, that’s ultimately the goal: you want to make the playoffs – preferably a home playoff.
“It’s going to be a bit of a fight for that, but we’ll keep on fighting. We are looking forward to a nice tour.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks. We had the Lions and a double game against the Bulls, so a change of scenery will be really good.”
Bulls captain Reinhardt Ludwig cut a forlorn figure afterwards, and expressed his unhappiness with his team’s mistakes on the night.
“It’s a disappointing loss – but I think we lost against ourselves today. The Stormers messed up our breakdown, and they won the scraps and the kicking game,” Ludwig told SuperSport TV.
“They got a lot of reward off that.
“Our lineout struggled today, and like I said, we lost against ourselves. But well done to the Stormers on a good win, and I’m sure they’re really happy with that.
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
“Our scrums were once again good. We struggled a bit in the beginning, but later in the first half, we got some penalties in the scrums.
“But like I said, today, we lost against ourselves. We need to go and look at ourselves.
“But well done to the Stormers on a good win at Loftus, and for all the support from the fans.”
Both teams will enjoy a few weeks off, with the Stormers facing the Scarlets next in Llanelli, Wales on March 22, while the third-placed Bulls will host Leinster in Pretoria on the same day.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 16 – Try: Ruan Vermaak. Conversion: David Kriel (1). Penalties: Kriel (3).
Stormers 19 – Try: Wandisile Simelane. Conversion: Jurie Matthee (1). Penalties: Matthee (4).