It has been a long wait for the Newlands faithful, but the first home victory of the season for the Stormers on Saturday, signalled not only their re-emergence in 2008, but a turnaround in form that has not been seen since 1999.

Talk of a semifinals berth is foolhardy and would certainly be jumping the gun, but the nature in the way that the Cape Town side dispatched of the Cheetahs, barring a second-half lapse indicated that a team brimming with talent is finally ready to deliver on their promise.

The fact that they downed the Cheetahs, a team that has a history of upsetting their more fancied counterparts, made it all the more satisfying for the locals, but despite the five tries the Stormers ran in over the weekend, perhaps the most impressive aspect of their play for me was up front.

The Stormers have long been considered a soft touch in the forwards, often with good reason, but 2008 has seen the tight five front up and not only hold their opposition, but more often than not, dominate them.

The arrival of prop Brian Mujati has been credited for much of the resurgence but you cannot discount the class of lock Andries Bekker (surely pushing for a Springbok place this season) and second row partner Adriaan Fondse, who are continuing to grow as a pairing.

Add this grunt to the impressive loose trio of Schalk Burger, Francois Louw and Luke Watson, and it is not hard to understand why the likes of Tonderai Chavhanga — the form win of the tournament — Conrad Jantjes, and Jean de Villiers are running so freely.

The days of the ‘Men in Black’ are behind Cape Town, but the smiles are back on their supporters faces and with the Hurricanes up next, you can expect a full house at Newlands this weekend.

Spare a though then for the Bulls, who have gone from champs in 2007 to chumps in 2008. Saturday’s performance against the ‘Canes has to be the worst Loftus has witnessed in some time and it is hard to fathom exactly what has happed with the team.

You can hardly blame loss of personnel because in reality they have only lost Victor Matfield and Gary Botha. Has the departure of Heyneke Meyer caused the players to lose their way? Does Meyer’s replacement, Frans Ludeke, have the support of the players? Going on performance you would think not, and I wonder if the big wigs at the union are now thinking they may have rushed things in finding a replacement for Meyer.

The former Bulls mentor was more than just a coach, but a visionary as well. From the first team all the way down to the academy structures, Meyer left his mark on the union and his loss will undoubtedly be felt for many years to come…

Send me all your thoughts to rob@metropolis.co.za.