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Manie Libbok kicks Stormers to South African derby victory against Vodacom Bulls

By PA
Stormers's Manie Libbok kicks the ball for a penalty conversion during the European Rugby Champions Cup, Pool 4 Rugby Union match between Stormers and Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle) at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on December 16, 2023. (Photo by Gianluigi Guercia / AFP) (Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images)

DHL Stormers edged the Vodacom Bulls 26-20 in a tense South African derby in Cape Town that lifts the 2022 champions to seventh in the BKT United Rugby Championship.

The Stormers led for all-but 14 minutes of a match played in front of a crowd of 42,000 at DHL Stadium, with the kicking of Manie Libbok ultimately proving the difference.

The Springbok fly-half landed three penalties and two conversions on a flawless evening from the kicking tee, ensuring that the Bulls finished on the losing side despite outscoring with three tries to two.

Reinhardt Ludwig, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie crossed the whitewash for the Bulls, while Jean-Luc Du Plessis and Ruhan Nel touched down for the hosts.