Bulls destroyed in the set-pieces
KOLISI: WE TURNED IT ALL AROUND IN THE BREAKDOWN
Captain Odendaal: We just couldn’t get any momentum.
The Stormers had something to prove at Newlands, captain Siya Kolisi said after their convincing 29-17 victory over the Bulls in their north-south Super Rugby derby at the weekend.
The Stormers turned the tables in the set-pieces after the Bulls had dominated their previous encounter with a 33-23 win at Loftus Versfeld.
“It was a good day for the team and we came together like we wanted,” Kolisi said.
“The last game we played, they dominated us at the breakdown and in the brutality of the hits which they were winning, but we managed to turn it around.
“Our focus is on the Chiefs now. There’s still a lot we can improve on going forward in the competition.”
Earning his 100th cap had been amazing with the whole squad making it special throughout the week, Skolisi said, but he had been more focused on getting the win.
“For me, it’s always about the team and the guys who played here before and who took me under their wing, the Andries Bekkers and the Schalk Burgers,” the skipper said.
While Bulls coach John Mitchell questioned some of the decisions made by referee Glen Jackson at the set-pieces, captain Burger Odendaal admitted it was not their best showing.
“There’s a lot of good stuff going on with us, but not the best of performances by us,” Odendaal said.
“Hats off to the Stormers who did well to cut off our set-piece. We couldn’t get any momentum there.”
While they had played the first half with the wind at their backs, the Bulls skipper did not feel it had really assisted them.
“They cut us off even at breakdown time, and we conceded a lot of penalties in the first half and in our territory, so we had to try and play from there,” he said.
“If you get gainline access you can put your team on the front foot.”