Jake White firmly behind Bulls captain Ruan Nortje

The reigning United Rugby Championship title holders edged a spirited Bulls side 23-19 in front of over 41 000 fans at an electric Loftus Versveld on Saturday evening.

The clash was on a knife-edge for the entire 84 minutes, until a final steal at the breakdown ended the hosts' chances at a late victory.

Young Bulls captain Nortje, who will turn 25 in July, was forced to make some difficult decisions on attack in the dying embers of the match, with the added pressure of chasing the game. The men from Pretoria had the ball in the 83rd minute, but the Stormers' stoic defence held firm.

"I'm not going to nail anybody because I've seen this movie before, we lost fair and square," White told the press.

"We had a chance at the end and I think we should've adapted better, and we have to learn those things as we go deeper in this competition.

"My captain will get it right. He's going through a tough time now with calls, and people double-guessing whether or not he's making the right calls.

"I've been through this with [former Springbok captain] John Smit, I've been through this with young captains - he™ll learn, he'll get better.

"He's not happy and has probably dropped his head and is down on himself, but he knows how important his role is. But we'll help him through this time."The result sees the Bulls slip to sixth in the URC table, three points ahead of the Sharks.