The DHL Stormers showed incredible character to claim a 13-8 win against the Vodacom Bulls at a packed DHL Stadium, to make it 10 consecutive wins this season.
The game was in the balance from the first to the last whistle and in the end the DHL Stormers did enough, with a late maul try sealing a hard-fought victory in front of a crowd of 53 682.
The opening half-hour saw huge intensity and physicality, without either side managing to break through.
The visitors eventually broke the deadlock when flyhalf Handre Pollard took a quick tap to scramble over.
The DHL Stormers responded with a penalty from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and the Pretoria side were reduce to 14 shortly afterwards as Willie le Roux was shown a yellow card for a cynical infringement.
The hosts took advantage as a period of dominance in the 22 ended with Evan Roos bursting through from a maul to score and send them into the break with an 8-5 lead.
The Vodacom Bulls were first to score in the second half, with a penalty from Pollard to level the scores, but those were to be their last points of the match.
It went down to the final five minutes and the DHL Stormers came through when it mattered most, as their dominance finally translated into points as the forwards rumbled over, sending the crowd into raptures.
The scorers:
For DHL Stormers:
Tries: Roos, Mchunu
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu
For Vodacom Bulls:
Try: Pollard
Pen: Pollard
DHL Stormers: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ali Vermaak.
Replacements: 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Adré Smith, 20 Ruben van Heerden, 21 Paul de Villiers, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Jurie Matthee.
