Marco van Staden and Deon Fourie embodied everything timeless about the Bulls-Stormers rivalry at Loftus on Saturday, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane says the fiercest traditional derby in South African rugby produced many collisions, but the enduring image was the shared triumph of two flankers whose careers continue to defy injury and time.
Van Staden marked his 100th match for the Bulls, years after Leicester doubted he would recover from recurring concussion issues. Instead, he returned to win a World Cup and become a cornerstone of the Pretoria pack.
ACKERS: Bulls fell apart in second half
Fourie, months shy of 40, continues to fight through setbacks that would have ended most careers, including the injuries that followed his heroic role in the Springboks’ 12-11 World Cup final win in 2023.
“These two veterans represent everything that can’t be coached into a player: fight, heart, desire and the absolute denial that they are ever beaten,” Keohane writes.
DOBBO: Stormers’ most dominant performance
Their nicknames capture the essence. Van Staden, known as “Eskom”, bring darkness to the breakdown, while “Brannas” brings a headache to anyone in his path.
Both thrive in rugby’s darkest corners, the unseen battle beneath the ruck. As former Bok captain Corné Krige once described it, there is the match the crowd watches and another one played in the shadows of the breakdown.
For Van Staden and Fourie, that is where careers are forged.
Photo: Bulls/Facebook
The post Breakdown warriors endure appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Marco van Staden and Deon Fourie embodied everything timeless about the Bulls-Stormers rivalry at Loftus on Saturday, writes @mark_keohane
The post Breakdown warriors endure appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
