Morné Steyn does it again
Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:55
Match winner: Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn puts the boot in - Pic: Rian Botes
The Blue Bulls will play the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup Final in Pretoria on October 31, after the Bulls edged Western Province 21-19 in a thriller at Newlands on Saturday.
In an epic contest, a game decided by inches and moments, it was seven Morné Steyn penalties that beat a Province team that scored the game's only try.
And the moment that decided it was when Fijian Sireli Naqelevuki came on inside the final 10 minutes to conceded the penalty that won the match for the Bulls - a high tackle, which was also his only contribution to the match.
However, it is a match in which both teams deserve plaudits for putting on a thrilling show. It may not please the purists, but a game that was worthy of a Final - let alone a semifinal.
And the Bulls, the Super 14 champions, will host their second major Final of the year - all thanks to the boot of Steyn, who maintained a 100 percent record throughout the game. Saturday's unerring show followed on his series-winning performances against the British and Irish Lions, as well as the Tri-Nations.
At the end of that exciting denouement, the Blue Bulls were satisfied that they had fulfilled their aim of playing in a Final again at their beloved Loftus Versfeld, and Western Province were satisfied knowing that they taken on the "best team in the world" and had come within two minutes of beating them.
Western Province also had the satisfaction of knowing that they had scored the only try and could in fact have scored more.
The Blue Bulls had to rely on their metronomic kicker with ice for blood - Morné Steyn and, as unemotional as ever, he banged them over including the winner from 42 metres out and six metres in from touch on his right side. As he had done to the B&I Lions, the Wallabies and the All Blacks, Steyn goaled the kick that counted.
Morné Steyn was the difference between the two sides.
It was not just his goal kicking but his kicking out of hand - up high, for touch, on the diagonal - that kept Western Province defensive. And it was also his ability to catch and pass with good judgment.
After the match Victor Matfield, the Blue Bulls' captain, said: "Tactical kicks are the most important aspect of modern rugby."
That was Steyn in action - more so than Fourie du Preez who did not have the best of matches as young Dewaldt Duvenage rode him.
The announcer kept the score going with things like "Western Province 19, Morné Steyn 18." He ended with "Morné Steyn 21, Western Province 19."
That was the reality and yet there was still good cheer amongst Western Province supporters as their side with no first-choice Springboks had given the team with six Springbok icons to start with a real tussle. Those 47 000 ardent Western Province supporters in the crowd knew that their men had played with all that heart, soul and sinew they possessed.
The total number of spectators at Newlands was 47 982, lots and lots of them waving flags. The flags were mainly royal blue and white in stripes but there were also some of a skyblue hue. And all 47 982 made a noise. There was noise from start to finish.
There was the ugly noise of booing when the Blue Bulls ran on and then perhaps the loudest noise ever at Newlands as they stood to welcome their champions onto the field.
Western Province kicked off and the start was frenetic as players flung themselves at each other. In the case of Bakkies Botha his enthusiasm was less controlled that it should have been as he drove his elbow into Francois Louw's face and so spent 10 minutes in the sin bin.
This was probably the Blue Bulls' best period of play. They attacked continually with Wynand Olivier as their spearhead and they scored six points to nil. When Andries Bekker tackled Wynand Olivier high, Steyn goaled. When Vermeulen was penalised at a tackle, he goaled again. 6-0 after eight minutes.
Again penalties would punish Western Province. As had happened against the Free State and the Golden Lions, Western Province were more penalised than their opponents though this time the count was only 11-10. It was just important that in the period when the Blue Bulls dominated Western Province were penalised more - six times to three in the first 18 minutes.
Botha emerged from the sin bin and Steyn goaled another two so that the Blue Bulls led 12-0 after 18 minutes.
But then Western Province came back and twice they attacked down the left with Frikkie Welsh and then Duane Vermeulen leading the charge on the line. The defence was good and the Western Province handling not secure enough.
When Derick Kuün overthrew a line-out Duvenage went scampering off and Deon Stegmann conceded a penalty. Western Province got on the board. 12-3 after 30 minutes.
The Blue Bulls did a clever thing at the front of the line-out and Kuün charged at the line but Gio Aplon, whose defence was magnificent throughout the match, stopped him in his tracks., But the Blue Bulls attacked and Botha was held up over the line. From the five-metre scrum the Blue Bulls attacked again with first Olivier and then Steyn going close. But Western Province won a turnover and survived. Back came the Blue Bulls and Dewald Potgieter was close but Wicus Blaauw stopped him and won a turnover.
Instead Western Province scored next. First Tiaan Liebenberg ran onto a pass at top speed and smashed through the defence to set up an attack which should have led to a try as they were four on one on the left till Paul Bosch slipped and knocked on. But advantage was being played and Pietersen goaled the easy penalty. 12-6.
That was the half-time score.
Early in the second half Schalk Burger replaced Anton van Zyl. He went to flank with Vermeulen at lock with Bekker.
De Jongh started an attack on Western Province's left. Liebenberg and Brok Harris carried it on till Bryan Habana was penalised for slapping the ball down. 12-9 after 50 minutes.
The crowd were getting excited and the Blue Bulls were looking rattled, so much so that their usually spot-on kicking resulted in three marks as they kicked too far. But then Louw was penalised at a tackle and the ice man made it 15-9 after 56 minutes.
Then came the jewel in the match.
De Jongh started the running down the left and gave to Welsh. He grubbered ahead to the Blue Bulls' goal-line. Olivier and Pedrie Wannenburg were leading the chase-back but suddenly Aplon sprinted past them for a try. It was a clear try which was referred to the TMO who took an unconscionable time to make an easy decision. Pietersen converted from far out. 16-15 with 20 minutes to play. The noise through the many replays was an increasingly angry noise, and then there was the burst of joy when the try was given and another burst of noise when Pietersen goaled. Western Province were ahead when all had seemed well and truly lost. Some even started singing a premature Olé.
Two minutes later Harris was penalised at a scrum, the second time in the match that Western Province were penalised at a scrum, and Steyn restored Blue Bulls' lead with a penalty.
When Gerhard van den Heever replaced Habana who had "cramp on a hamstring" the crowd cheered the retiring wing who has signed for Western Province for next season.
There was a massive moment when Burger blindsided Du Preez and sent him head over heels, out of control, in the thump. That seemed to galvanise the Western Province side and after Bosch had cut through they bashed at the line till the Blue Bulls were penalised for being offside, and Pietersen made it 19-18
Now the crowd were roaring. When Steyn was wide with a drop, they cheered. When Western Province were awarded a scrum, they cheered. When Steyn kicked out on the full from within his 22, but the ball had been taken back, they cheered. There were six minutes to go.
Then they lost a line-out and threw in skew into the next with five minutes to go.
Zane Kirchner came into the line on the left but Welsh cut him down and the crowd cheered. There were four minutes to go.
Then the cheering stopped. Sireli Naqelevuki tackled Jaco Pretorius high. The referee penalised him, The metronome swung and the Blue Bulls were ahead 21-19 and there were just two minutes to go. The Blue Bulls won those two minutes.
Man of the Match: Morné Steyn mattered most. He is our Man of the Match.
Moment of the Match: Schalk Burger's tackle had great impact and Gio Aplon's try was exquisite, but really it was Morné Steyn's seventh penalty that meant a Currie Cup Final in Pretoria.
Villain of the Match: Bakkies Botha's yellow card was silly though not all that damaging.
The scorers:
For Western Province:
Try: Aplon
Con: Pietersen
Pens: Pietersen 4
For the Blue Bulls:
Pens: Steyn 7
Yellow card: Bakkies Botha (Blue Bulls, 1 - foul play, elbow in the face)
Teams:
Western Province: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenhage, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Anton van Zyl, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Schalk Burger, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Matt To'omua, 22 Sireli Naqelevuki.
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Francois Hougaard, 13 Jaco
Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana; 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Rossouw de Klerk, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Pedrie Wannenburg, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper, Reuben Rossouw
TMO: Michael Cupido
By Paul Dobson, at Newlands
Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Advertising
