Awesome performance from the Stormers...

… and the Bulls weren’t too bad either.

This Stormers side looks seriously classy. Obviously it is still early days in the competition but they now have 2 out of 2 in South Africa and to drop the Waratahs takes some doing. For me there were a couple of key performance points:

• Stormers defence was top quality against some physically big opponents
• They stayed on the boil for an extended periods in the game and were less hot and cold than last week
• Juan de Jongh looks like a superstar in the making – mark my words he will be a Bok centre
• Jaque Fourie has brought lots of composure to the backline and Habana has brought some good quality finishing to the side
• How was that hit from Ricky Januarie on Phil Waugh?! He’s coming back to form nicely!
• There was a moment in the first half where Gio Aplon was defending against that big Waratahs full back and he showed no fear making a great tackle – I don’t rate him as the ideal for the position but wow he showed guts!

The Bulls also showed their class today. The Brumbies made them sweat a bit but in the end the quality came through. Maybe the Brumbies have been softened up a bit for their clash next week against the Stormers… hope so!

Speaking of next Boks… Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever must be right up there. Van den Heever in particular is a potent finisher for such a young kid. Cracking player!

At least the Stormers and Bulls restored some pride to the home sides early in the competition!