The DHL Stormers beat the Vodacom Bulls for first time in Super Rugby since 2003 at Loftus Fersfeld in Pretoria on Saturday. The Cape Town side won the contest 10 – 23.

They scored a try through Bryan Habana yesterday but what will satisfy them no end is that they came to Loftus and beat the Bulls at a game to which the Pretoria side is more accustomed.

Simply put, the Stormers won the arm-wrestle at close quarters, while it was their flyhalf Peter Grant who applied the finishing touches with the boot.

The persistent rain that drenched Gauteng in the 24 hours leading up to this contest did little to enhance this game as a spectacle, but that seemed to suit the Stormers, who took to the trenches with glee.

Habana, who had an absolute howler, rediscovered his scoring instinct momentarily to put the game beyond the Bulls inside the last 10 minutes.

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The Cheetahs beat the Waratahs 23 – 3 in Sydney on Saturday to record their first ever win in Austrlasia.

There was little to commend the rugby on display but the Cheetahs won’t care an iota about that. They won so for them it was mission accomplished. They weren’t seeking a spectacular performance, they were looking for a win and that’s what they got.

Their in-your-face defence was tight, they kicked their goals and they scored the only two tries of the game.

They brought attitude to their performance – which the Waratahs did not – and earned their win if not through skill, then certainly through courage. They were also cleverer than the home team.

The spectators who made their way to the Sydney Football Stadium will feel hard done by. They deserved better and indeed, those who stayed to the end certainly deserved more continuity and creativity than they were offered. Sadly though, they jeered their team at half-time and when the Waratahs left the field after the final whistle it was to resounding booing.

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Sean Maitland scored four tries as the seven-time champions the Crusaders buried the ACT Brumbies 52 – 10 in their Super Rugby clash in Nelson on Friday.

The match was the second “home game” for the Crusaders at Trafalgar Park following a devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 22 that ripped the heart out of Christchurch, killing at least 166 people and levelling much of the centre of the country’s second-largest city.

It was the second successive loss for the Brumbies after their coach Andy Friend was sacked early last week. They had also lost the match prior to his dismissal.

Winger Maitland, who had scored one try in the first half, added two more in a devastating 10-minute period to start the second half when the Crusaders extended their 19-10 lead at the break to 40-10.

All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams also added his second Super rugby try, in virtually the same place where he scored his first last week, before Maitland added his fourth.

Flyhalf Daniel Carter slotted four penalties and a conversion in the first half then three conversions in the second before being replaced with about 20 minutes remaining.

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