It was a typical North-South derby between the Bulls and Stormers in Pretoria on Saturday. Full of ferocious tackles, exciting running from the backs and forwards, and an ending that kept most of the 40 000-plus spectators glued to their seats and biting their nails.
IOL Sport's Leighton Koopman looks at five standouts from the United Rugby Championship clash that saw the Stormers claim a famous 23-19 victory at Fort Loftus to make it five in a row over the Bulls.
Loftus full house a real vibe
Way before kick-off the excitement and atmosphere were building inside the stadium. For a South African derby, it was brilliant to see Loftus Versfeld packed with almost 42 000 supporters, a new record URC attendance in the southern hemisphere.
And this crowd was vocal up until the final whistle especially because the match was in the balance until then.
Every time the Bulls got going, their supporters were behind them. Bulls flags dominated the stadium but the support for the Stormers were not far behind. Even when the visiting team trailed 12-3 early on in the match.
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Almost every line break was met with loud cheering from the stands, while the oohs rang out when a massive tackle was made from either side. That is what you want to hear at local matches although the stadium DJ tried his best to drown out the crowd with loud music.
The kickers from both teams were also not spared the booing of the opposition supporters although they did not crack under the pressure making sure they slot their kicks for crucial points.
Silky smooth scrum half play
Two excellent passes by Herschel Jantjies led to a brilliant try for the Stormers at a time they really needed it.
The Bulls were starting to pull away on the scoreboard and the Stormers needed a spark from somewhere to get back into things.
Jantjies created that spark with two brilliant flat passes that reminded of the Herschel Jantjies of a couple of seasons ago.
The first pass came off a left touchline scrum and was made to inside centre Dan du Plessis for a crash ball into the midfield where he sucked defenders in.
A quick clean-out at the ruck allowed Jantjies to throw a skip pass to his left and into space where eighth man Marcel Theunissen ran onto the ball to score in the left-hand corner.
This was a crucial try for the visitors at a time when they were under pressure.
The diminutive Springbok scrumhalf seems to be finding his form again and has been quick and nippy with his service to his team.
Welcome back Sbu Nkosi!
The Springbok winger announced his return to top-class rugby with a signature bump with one of his first touches of the game as he made his way down the left touchline in rampant Sbu Nkosi style.
The reception he received was absolutely amazing and shows just the immense support he has and how loved he is around Loftus and South Africa.
And the 26 year old Nkosi did not disappoint with his performance even if there were questions about whether he should have started the game or not after his disappearance due to mental health issues last year.
Jake White, his coach, had full confidence in him and the World Cup winner did not disappoint in his comeback.
He even scored a try on his return to Loftus that got the crowd going after a brilliant chicken wing pass by teammate Elrigh Louw.
Even though they lost, Nkosi had a couple of chats with some Stormers players afterwards who showed him all the love with tight embraces.
It was excellent to see him back on the pitch with a smile and playing his rugby again
Defence wins you championships
The Stormers were under the pump for the first 15 minutes and the last 10 minutes of the match but their defensive effort to keep the rampaging Bulls out during long passages of play, deserves all the credit.
Although there will be no doughnuts on Monday because they couldn't keep the Bulls tryless, Norman Laker, their defence coach, will still be chuffed with the effort.
Especially in that last 10 minutes where the Pretoria team threw the kitchen sink at the visitors when they kept coming with driving mauls and pick-and-go plays.
The Stormers' defence remained resilient and kept tackling the Bulls backward. And that's the one thing coach John Dobson asked of his team for Saturday - to scramble on defence when it's needed.
Another Deon Fourie and Stormers breakdown-masterclass
He was watched like a hawk by the Bulls' breakdown cleaners and every time Fourie had to bide his time when he wanted to steal possession at rucks.
And at the ripe age of 36 years old, the experienced flanker frustrated the Bulls at crucial times when they were on the attack.
Two of his breakdown turnovers came when Jake White's side was within striking distance of the try line. One happened right in front of the posts.
This steal renewed the Stormers' energy after being under pressure for a while. Fourie's exploits at the breakdown also gave his teammates the confidence to do the same when he was replaced.
You would've thought though that Fourie was still on the field up until the final whistle when the Bulls lost possession at crucial rucks. But it was replacement tighthead prop Sazi Sandi who made a crucial turnover similar to Fourie in front of the try line.
The final steal that sealed the game came from lock Ruben van Heerden when he nicked the ball to boot it over the touchline.