Stormers beat Bulls 50 to 26 in the Currie Cup on Friday. The result was never in doubt after the visitors took control in the opening quarter. And here's the thing about this kind of match — once a side pulls away like that, nothing really changes.
Bulls arrived having lost four of their last five games. They fell to New Zealand 50-19, then dropped to Lions 42-19, and had already lost to Griquas and Pumas. To be fair, they had beaten someone once, but the pattern was clear enough.
Stormers were left flat-footed at the whistle, but it was their own poor defending that cost them. They worked the channels well enough, yet couldn't hold the line when it mattered. The scoreline tells you everything.
By then, the Currie Cup table was looking very different for the home side. Bulls sit lower now, and the gap between them and the top teams has grown. Stormers move up with this win, and the margin suggests they're a different proposition when they're playing.
The result leaves Bulls with serious questions. They ran riot in attack when it counted, but couldn't stop Stormers from doing the same. Five points per try on average is a target worth aiming for, and they fell short.