The Vodacom Bulls secured a thrilling 33-32 victory over the DHL Stormers in a closely contested URC North-South derby at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. Bulls coach Jake White hailed Cameron Hanekom for his standout performance, comparing him to former schoolboy rugby sensation Nick Koster.
Hanekom’s Impact
From the opening kickoff, Hanekom announced himself with a barnstorming break through the Stormers’ defensive line, setting up Cobus Wiese’s try. His physicality, lineout skills, and work rate earned him the Man of the Match award, despite making a couple of errors in receiving kick-offs.
“He made a statement from the kick-off,” White said. “Everyone knows how good he is. It reminded me of Nick Koster when he was at Bishops – he could catch the ball and run through everyone.”
A Tight Finish
Despite taking an early lead, the Bulls found themselves under pressure as the Stormers fought back strongly. The visitors maintained their composure in the final minutes, helped in part by Clayton Blommetjies missing a late conversion, which could have handed the Stormers the win.
“We tried everything we could to actually lose that game,” admitted White. “The fact that we got out of it and won is fantastic, but we’ll have to talk about it at Monday’s video session.”
Looking Ahead
The victory sees the Bulls close in on the top two of the URC standings, sitting just two points behind second-placed Glasgow Warriors with a game in hand. They will look to build on this momentum as the season progresses.
