The Stormers defeated the Bulls 18-13 at Cape Town Stadium to win the inaugural Vodacom URC title in 2021-22.
John Dobson’s Stormers finished second on the URC log before beating Edinburgh 28-17 in the Cape Town quarter-final and edging Ulster 17-15 at home, with flyhalf Manie Libbok converting an 85th-minute try.
Jake White’s fourth-placed Bulls needed a late drop goal from flyhalf Chris Smith to beat the Sharks 30-27 in the Loftus quarter-final, and then stunned table-toppers Leinster 27-26 in Dublin.
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The Bulls struck inside three minutes of the 2022 final, played in front of a lockdown-restricted crowd of 31,000, when centre Harold Vorster crashed over close to the uprights following a lineout driving maul.
Despite prolonged pressure from the visitors, the hosts stayed in touch through a tireless defensive effort led by veteran flank Deon Fourie in his 100th Stormers match and a penalty goal from Libbok with the clock in the red to make it 7-3 at half-time.
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Smith put the Bulls 10-3 ahead early in the second half, before Stormers No 8 Evan Roos powered over from close range to score a try that Libbok converted to level the scores.
The turning point came in the 56th minute when Bulls centre Cornal Hendricks was yellow-carded for a high tackle. The Stormers capitalised immediately, with replacement hooker André-Hugo Venter rumbling over from a lineout driving maul.
Smith’s third penalty goal reduced the deficit to two points, but Libbok’s 74th-minute drop goal gave the hosts some breathing space again.
The Bulls could not find a late response, and Stormers prop Steven Kitshoff became the first captain to lift the URC trophy.
Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
