The Bulls started the defence of their Super14 title with a scrappy win over the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday.

The North-South derby was played like a test match, both teams played hard physical rugby and both teams defended realy well. The Stormers started the game well, and took a 9-0 lead after 27 minutes, and they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty try after an attacking scrum on the Bulls tryline. The defending champions did manage to strike back just before half time when they scored the only try of the match through Bryan Habana.

The second half saw a more polished performance by the Bulls. Their defensive structures were good and the stopped the Stormers from scoring any more points, whilst the Bulls added 3 penalties to their score. Final score: Bulls 16 Stormers 9