Bulls hang on to beat Cheetahs
Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:52
Blue wave: Bulls fans expecting big things
The Blue Bulls had to work very hard to ensure their place in the playoff bubble as they edged the Free State Cheetahs 30-27 in a tight Currie Cup encounter at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Blue Bulls started off at a tremendous tempo and obviously intent on getting a bonus point fifer, but in the end they had to pull out all the stops to prevent the Free State Cheetahs from scoring the winning try.
What went wrong with the Blue Bulls after a good first half and especially a very good first quarter, or what came right on the Cheetahs side is difficult to say.
The Blue Bulls never seemed extended in the first 38 minutes. They were 17-3 up after 19 minutes with Morne Steyn providing two conversions and a penalty to add to tries by Gerhard van den Heever and Dewald Potgieter.
When Steyn added another penalty in the 25th minute and, with his forwards in control, the Free Staters seemed destined for a walloping.
But then came Sevens Springbok Fabian Juries who was on the wing after mesmerising the Sharks from fullback last weekend when he was Man of the Match - as he was again on Saturday.
And ironically, as then, he only came into the Cheetahs side this weekend as a second thought after Jongi Nokwe had cried off with an injury.
Just before halftime, Juries stepped his way past nine - yes, nine - Blue Bulls to score under the posts.
Then, four minutes into the second half, he came around Corne Uys following initial running
from fullback Hennie Daniller to score his second. With Jacques-Louis Potgieter converting both to add to his 18th minute penalty, the score had jumped to 23-17 and the Cheetahs seemed back in it.
But there is no replacement for class, and the Blue Bulls'returning Springboks showed that, although they were not as noticeable later in the game.
Pierre Spies stood out in the loose with some strong runs, and Danie Rossouw had done his fair share of carrying the ball up. The Bulls' Boks were back, but that was really rubbed in by centre Wynand Olivier.
He had threatened on the break a couple of times, but then cut right through the Free State backline in the 54th minute for a great converted try (30-17).
Not to be outdone, however, another Free State Sevens Bok Lionel Mapoe ignored a few feeble tackles by the Blue Bulls four minutes later and scored for Potgieter to convert. He added a penalty four minutes later, and, with ten points during the time their No 8 Ashley Johnstone was in the bin for a professional foul, the visitors had crept to within three points (30-27).
The Blue Bulls then took control up front. Although they threatened once or twice the Free State defence held out and it was the visitors who came with a sortie or two in the final minutes to
present the Blue Bulls and their supporters with some anxious moments.
The Free State defeat meant that they dropped to sixth position on the log with 30 points after the Lions (32 log points) had trounced the Boland Cavaliers earlier in the day.
The Blue Bulls remain in fourth place on 36 points, but had crept closer to Griquas (38), while log leaders, the Sharks (45) are still a single point ahead of Western Province (44).
Man of the Match: A couple of players stood out on the day but Fabien Juries' electric running set the game alight and he wins our award.
The Scorers:
For Bulls:
Tries: Van den Heever, Stegmann, Olivier
Cons: Steyn 3
Pens: Steyn 3
For Cheetahs:
Tries: Juries 2, Mapoe
Cons: Potgieter 3
Pens: Potgieter 2
Yellow card: Ashley Johnson, Cheetahs (professional foul - 52 min)
Teams
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 François Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Pedrie Wannenburg, 20 Dean Greyling, 21 François Brummer, 22 John Mametsa.
Free State: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 Corné Uys, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Fabian Juries, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Frans Viljoen, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 David de Villiers, 4 Nico Breedt, 3 Western Province Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Izak
van der Westhuizen, 19 Hendro Scholtz, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Louis Strydom, 22 JW Jonker.
Referee: Ian Smith (Australia)
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