Reckless Bulls made to pay
Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:23
Shark bite: Ryan Kankowski on the run
The Sharks took sweet revenge for last year's Super 14 Final loss by running in three late tries to beat the Bulls by 29-15 in their Super 14 match in Pretoria.
The match remained tight throughout the first 70 minutes, but a yellow card for Bulls centre JP Nel tilted the scales in favour of the Sharks, who scored 19 unanswered points in Nel's absence over the last 10 minutes.
A predictably tight match started off with a bang so to speak, as both teams showed their desire to stamp their physical authority on the match.
A dust-up started as early as the second minute, and the elder statesman of South African and Sharks rugby, Johann Ackermann, was pinged for a punch, and received 10 minutes in the sin-bin. Not the ideal send-off for Ackermann in his final game for the Sharks.
The Bulls couldn't really take advantage of their temporary numeric advantage, and the exchanges remained physical and tight.
Suddenly the Bulls found some space and attacked the Sharks on the blindside. Danwel Demas chased a grubber into the Sharks goal area, and dived on the loose ball in what appeared a legitimate try. Referee Mark Lawrence went upstairs, and the television match official Johan Meuwesen ruled that Demas had in fact knocked the ball on in the process of diving on it. The call was marginal, but correct.
The scoring was only opened in the fourteenth minute, when Bulls flyhalf Morné Steyn popped over a penalty to put the home side in the lead.
Five minutes later, another marginal call stopped the Bulls in their tracks, and Rayno Gerber from scoring his first Super 14 try for the Bulls. This time referee Lawrence called a forward pass, after some good work from Danwel Demas.
The Bulls grind was in effect once again, although the rugby remained narrow and defensive. The Bulls of course flourish in this type of game, and it is clear that they will find it difficult to adapt to the type of running, loose rugby that the ELVs are designed to produce.
On 33 minutes, Steyn slotted another penalty to put the Bulls up by six, but the second yellow card of the evening came the way of Bulls lock Danie Rossouw, who was fingered for killing the ball in the ruck.
This temporary loss of personnel definitely boosted the Sharks, and they made use of their extra man as Odwa Ndungane crossed to score the first try of the match.
The Sharks went through a few phases, and worked the ball up to inside the Bulls 22. Kockott spread the ball wide to the open side, and Sharks centre Waylon Murray took off across the field, with Demas in hot pursuit. Zane Kirchner was the last defender, supposedly covering Ndungane on the touchline, but the Bulls fullback didn't trust his inside man to make the tackle on Murray. It was a mistake - Murray, drawing both defenders, popped the ball out expertly to the open Ndungane, who scored unopposed.
Kockott converted before the half-time whistle went, and suddenly the Sharks held a 7-6 lead.
The second period got off to much the same rhythm as the first. The Bulls were happy to play for the trusty boot of Steyn, mimicking the classic Naas Botha era.
Steyn converted two more penalties and a classy drop goal, with Kockott replying for the Sharks with a penalty shot at goal. It seemed as if the match was turning the way of the Bulls as they strtched to a 15-10 lead.
Still, there was a distinct feeling that the procession lacked a spark of some kind.
And on 62 minutes that spark arrived - and it was the Bulls that inadvertently lit the fuse under the Sharks. Bulls replacement prop Jaco Engels swung a punch and connected with an unidentified Sharks player, but the blatant offence was not spotted by any of the officials. The Bulls had gotten away with it.
But the Bulls kept up their ill-advised rough-house tactics, until it came back to haunt them.
The game was still firmly in the balance with 10 minutes to go, when JP Nel stopped the onrushing Francois Steyn in his tracks. But instead of completing a crunching tackle, Nel chose to pull the young World Cup winner's legs from under him, and dump him to the ground in a spear-tackle. How fatal that moment proved to be for the current champions.
Nel was sent to the bin for the remainder of the match, and suddenly the tiring Bulls were on the back foot. The Sharks smelled blood, and circled menacingly over the tryline of the wounded Bulls, who had the unenviable task of defending with only 14 men.
The Bulls made one last fatal error. Fourie du Preez instantly burst into space and raced towards the Sharks line, with one defender to beat. He drew the cover defence, and threw a perfect pass to Danwel Demas, who had raced up in support. The try-line and the win was beckoning. But somehow, Demas dropped the ball with the match at his mercy.
The rugby gods were now fed up with the Bulls' profligacy, and made them pay immediately, through French flyhalf Freddie Michalak, who rounded off after the Bulls were stretched wide. That score made it 15-15, but the pressure told as Rory Kockott missed an easy conversion.
It did not matter though - the Bulls' petrol had run out. The game suddenly went from close and physical to total chaos for the home side, as their exhaustion showed alarmingly.
The Sharks were now sensing a feeding frenzy, and ripping the home side apart by scoring two more tries in the space of two minutes. First Keegan Daniel crashed over in the corner, before Jacques Botes killed off the match by pouncing on another mistake by Jaco Engels, who dropped a simple pass. Botes kicked through and gathered while sliding over the tryline.
Kockott converted both tries to send the visiting fans into delirium, and the home fans heading for the exits before the final whistle went.
The match was over, transformed by a furious final ten minutes in which the Bulls went a player down, and promptly conceded nineteen unanswered points.
The cost of JP Nel's ill-discipline is hard to fathom. It certainly cost the Bulls this match, as well as a losing bonus point. Considering the evidence however, it could be even more costly than just four points. The fact that it is a home game lost, could ultimately cost the Bulls a semifinal spot.
Perhaps Nel will learn his lesson this time.
Man of the match: Rory Kockott was tigerish and confrontational, and the Bulls didn't like it. He also kicked the penalties that kept the Sharks in touch when the Bulls looked like pulling away. Furthermore, his quick distribution in those last minutes set the platform for the Sharks' coup de grâce.
Moment of the match: Danwel Demas dropping that pass, when it seemed easier to score. After Nel's spear-tackle, it proved to be the moment that the Bulls lost control of the match.
Villain of the match: There were many candidates: Johann Ackermann, Danie Rossouw, Jaco Engels et al for various yellow cards and all-round dirty niggle. But serial offender JP Nel wins this one by a mile for his mindless spear-tackle on Frans Steyn.
Scorers:
For the Bulls:
Pens: Steyn 4
DG: Steyn
For the Sharks:
Tries: Ndungane, Michalak, Daniel, Botes
Cons: Kockott 3
Pens: Kockott
Yellow cards: Johann Ackermann (Sharks, 2 - foul play, punching); Danie Rossouw (Bulls, 35 - professional foul, killing the ball); JP Nel (Bulls, 70 - foul play, dangerous tackle)
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JP Nel, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Danwel Demas, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du
Preez (captain), 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 James van der Walt, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Jaco Engels, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Derick Hougaard, 22 John Mametsa.
Sharks: 15 Francois Steyn, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Bradley Barritt, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 AJ Venter, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Jannie du Plessis.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Adrian Jacobs, 22 Stefan Terblanche.
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Touch judges: Willie Roos (South Africa), Joey Salmans (South Africa)
Television match official: Johan Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor: Arrie Schoonwinkel (South Africa)
By Phil Coetzer
