Bulls run riot in Bloem
Sat, 17 May 2008 19:02
The Blue Bulls put the seal on a late-season victory run, which saw them win their last four matches on the trot, beating an outclassed Cheetahs team 60-20 in their last Super 14 match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The platform for victory was based on a far superior Bulls pack, which not only had the upperhand in the set pieces, but used their greater physicality to wear the brave Cheetahs forward down.
Despite leading only 18-17 at the break, the Bulls opened up in the second half to add six tries the two they scored in the first half - with wings Odwa Ndungane and Bryan Habana both crossing for a brace.
The game had one sour note, with a touch judge getting involved over insignificant little scuffles - what was nothing more that handbags at 20 paces, a bit of pushing and shoving - but trying to turn them into serious incidents, much like somebody trying to get his 30 seconds of fame on TV.
But on the day it was the Bulls' free-flowing game that stole the limelight from over-officious match officials.
The early stages of the game was marked by a series of mistakes on both sides, as the teams struggled to get out of first gear.
It took the Cheetahs just over five minutes to put something together, with a perfectly time grubber from Tewis de Bruyn setting up a flying JW Jonker for the try - a very basic set-piece move executed to perfection. De Bruyn's conversion attempt was wide, but the home side was on the board with a 5-0 lead.
However, the game soon settled back into a stop-start affair in which set pieces and errors were the dominant features.
The Bulls' first real scoring opportunity came in the 19th minute, when the Cheetahs were penalised for a high tackle and Morné Steyn had no trouble in slotting the kick for a 3-5 score in favour of the Cheetahs.
This seemed to awake the slumbering Cheetahs, with Jonker scoring a second try from almost nothing. After taking the ball through a few phases Springbok CJ van der Linde suddenly burst into a gap and a well-timed, one-handed offload put Jonker into the clear. Not even the despairing tackle of Morné Steyn could stop him. The conversion was again wide, but the Cheetahs had a 10-3 ;lead.
The Bulls also seemed to finally awake from their sleep-walking and a [penalty became a maul, which turned into a ruck and a blindside move saw lock Bakkies Botha put wing Akona Ndungane over for a great try. Steyn's conversion was wide, but at 10-8 the Bulls were staying in tough with the home side.
The Bulls were soon punished for some ordinary defending, with Hendrik Meyer bursting through a disorganised defensive line and put Eddie Fredericks into space, who in turn offloaded to Jongi Nokwe - with the wing sprinting clear for his team's third try.
And the Bulls now joined into the festivities, as Pierre Spies used his significant pace and power to burst over for the Bulls' second try. Steyn added the conversion to make it a two-point game again - 17-15.
The Bulls hit the front for the first time in the 37th minute, when Steyn slotted a sweetly-time drop-goal from near halfway - 18-17 to the visitors.
And it stayed like that to the half-time break.
The Bulls opened the scoring in the second minute after the break, with Bryan Habana the man to go over after a great offload in the tackle from Zane Kirchner - with Habana's pace just too much for the cover. Steyn's conversion made it 25-17 to the visitors.
A few minutes later Tewis de Bruyn had a penalty shot from just inside his own half and slotted it to make it 20-25 and a one-score game again.
In the 53rd minute De Bruyn had another shot at goal, this time from just 20 metres out, but the easier kick drifted horribly wide. And he limped off with a leg injury - suggesting he had done himself some harm in taking the kick.
The Bulls increased their lead in the 56th minute, when the Bulls turned over the ball at a ruck - after a Cheetahs scrum was put under pressure - and prop Werner Kruger picked up a loose ball to go over with his a number of his teammates pushing from behind. Steyn's conversion made it 32-20 and the Bulls' lead began to look safe.
And when Ndungane intercepted a few minutes later to go over unopposed, the Cheetahs' heads dropped and the body language suggested they had accepted defeat. Steyn added the extras for a 39-20 lead.
The Bulls now started winning the collisions and with their pack on a roll, the Cheetahs' defence could not cope - with Steyn scoring a try after the home side ran out of men to cover. The conversion by Steyn made it 46-20.
And the rout continued as Zane Kirchner scored the seventh try, after Habana's great show-'n-go caught the defence napping. Steyn added the conversion as the Bulls moved beyond the 50-point mark - 53-20.
Habana got his reward in the 76th minute, after some great handling put him in the clear on the left. Steyn added the conversion to make it 60-20.
That's how it stayed to the end.
Man of the match: There were plenty of players on the Bulls side who put their hands up, but it was the Bulls' back three - Zane Kirchner, Bryan Habana and Akona Ndungane - that did most of the damage with some great evasive running. Our award goes to those three.
Moment of the match: The Cheetahs were in the lead for 35 minutes, but then the Bulls hit the front, when Steyn slotted a sweetly-time drop-goal from near halfway. After that the Cheetahs saw the Bulls race away to a huge win - which is why it wins our award.
Villain of the match: Nothing untoward, despite touch judge Joey Salmans's best effort to pretend something nasty happened. No award, not even for Joey Salmans.
The scorers:
For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Jonker 2, Nokwe
Con: De Bruyn
Pen: De Bruyn
For the Bulls:
Tries: Ndungane 2, Spies, Habana 2, Kruger, Steyn, Kirchner
Cons: Steyn 7
Pen: Steyn
DG: Steyn
Teams:
Cheetahs: 15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Eddie Fredericks, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Hendrik Meyer, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Tewis de Bruyn, 9 Tobie Botes, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussouw, 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Rory Duncan, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Adriaan Strauss , 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Hans van Dyk, 17 Bees Roux, 18 David de Villiers, 19 Hendro Scholtz, 20 Conrad Barnard, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Hennie Daniller.
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JP Nel, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11
Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez (captain), 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Pedrie Wannenburg, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gürthro Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Jaco Engels, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Burton Francis/Francois Brummer, 22 Hilton Lobberts.
Referee: Phillip Bosch (South Africa)
Touch judges: Willie Roos (South Africa), Joey Salmans (South Africa)
TMO: Michael Cupido (South Africa)
