The Stormers, who enjoyed the luxury of facing the a second-string Bulls outfit, scored a comprehensive 38-10 victory at Newlands on Saturday evening to secure a home Super 14 semifinal at Newlands next week.
This was the first time in six years that the Stormers have managed to beat the Bulls in a Super 14 fixture.

They tackle the Waratahs in the second game (kick-off 19:10) next Saturday at Newlands. The halftime score was 28-3 in favour of the Stormers in front of 48 739 spectators.

It will be the first time since 1999 that the Stormers will be hosting a semifinal. The Stormers started in fourth position on the points’ table with 39 behind Bulls, Waratahs and Crusaders. They needed a victory to finish second and thus claim a home semi-final berth.

Defeat would have meant an arduous trip to Sydney for a semi-final clash with the dangerous Waratahs next weekend. They went about their business in a very professional manner and completely outplayed the Bulls, who were without several first-choice players.

Leftwing Bryan Habana opened the scoring in the match against his former teammates with a fourth minute try which was splendidly converted by flyhalf Peter Grant from the touchline (7-0). Habana was fed with the scoring pass by his skipper Schalk Burger and although the pass looked decidedly forward referee Jonathan Kaplan did not intervene.

In the next 11 minutes of play Grant (2) and his opposite number Jacques-Louis Potgieter exchanged penalty kicks to keep the scoreboard ticking ahead of the clock (13-3).

There was no let-up by the Stormers who looked full of running and in the ensuing passage of play they were handsomely positioned to score several times but players selfishly hung to the ball when teammates were lurking wide.

When the Stormers did eventually spread the ball wide Habana cantered in for his second try in the 23rd minute and four minutes later lock Andries Bekker snatched a third try for the hosts. Grant succeeded with one conversion (25-3).

The Bulls mounted a few promising attacks ahead of the break without any reward. Instead Grant snapped over a third penalty just ahead of the halftime whistle to extend the Stormers’ lead, and by this time the match was clearly over as a contest (28-3).

In view of the fact that the rest of the weekend’s Super 14 programme had already been completed the Stormers knew before the match that only a victory against the Bulls would ensure them a home semifinal against Australia’s Waratahs next week.

The Bulls, on the other hand, had already secured a home semifinal regardless of the outcome of their match against the Stormers.

After the break the Stormers pounced with a fresh sense of urgency, seemingly in search of a bonus point try, much to the delight of the 48,739-strong crowd. They launched one attack after the other but tigerish defence by the Bulls kept them out, and even when the visitors were reduced to 14 players (centre De Wet Barry was sin-binned) the Stormers could not find a way to the opposition’s tryline.

Instead a penalty by Grant was their lone advance in the opening 20 minutes of second-half play (31-3).

The Stormers cleared their substitutes’ bench and the fresh legs helped them to make the breakthrough when centre Jaque Fourie dotted down behind the posts after excellent work by Gio Aplon in the build-up. Grant’s conversion helped to stretch the lead to 38-3 in the 62nd minute.

This try sparked the imagination of the crowd who broke out in several rounds of Mexican waves, as a celebration gesture to mark the Stormers’ advance into next week’s semifinal round.

But try as they might for another touchdown errors crept into the Stormers’ game and one try-scoring chance after the other went a-begging.

The visiting Bulls closed out the scoring in the match with a 78th minute try by Ruan Snyman, and Francois Brummer added the conversion (38-10)

Scorers Stormers: Tries: Bryan Habana (2), Andries Bekker and Jaque Fourie.

Conversions: Peter Grant (3). Penalties: Grant (4).

Bulls: Try: Ruan Snyman. Conversion: Francois Brummer. Penalty: Jacques-Louis Potgieter