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Bulls back on top after six-try rout

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:08

Big hit: Wynand Olivier confronted by Herkie Kruger - Pic: Rian Botes

The Bulls marched back to the top of the Super 14 standings with an emphatic  51-11 demolition of the hapless Lions at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

The win was set up with a brutal second half performance in which the Bulls scored six classic tries, after holding a slender 12-8 lead at the break.

While the Lions played with courage, they were simply overran by the efficient Bulls in the second half - with the blue machine clicking into gear after slow start.

It was in that second-half rout that the defending champions showed just how dangerous they can be on their home turf.

It was not the most exciting of first-halves, with the Bulls seemingly more intent on winning than worrying about the entertainment value of their performance.

There was lots of early kicking. However, the most disappointing aspect of those early exchanges were the poor option-taking and execution of both teams. One of the biggest culprits was Bulls scrumhalf Heinie Adams, who looked rusty in what was his first start of the season.

In those early exchanges the Lions also missed plenty of one-on-one tackles - 14 in the entire first half. That became far more when they tired against a fast-finishing Bulls outfit.

And the first half also showed that the Bulls are performing well below the standards they set at the start of the season - with a desperate need for an injection of energy.

The Lions, in turn, showed true grit and looking for the opportunist score.

After the break the Bulls played a far better tactical game, putting the ball deep into Lions territory and forcing them to play under pressure. The Bulls also managed to lift their tempo significantly.

While the Bulls managed to spend long periods on the attack, the Lions showed how much work they have put in on defence - initially holding out against most of the blue waves coming in their direction. However, with the Bulls enjoying almost 70 percent of the territorial advantage, the Lions were left trying to making long-range attacks against a very organised defence.

And once the Bulls got into gear, and the Lions started to tire, the gulf in class between the two sides became clear and the Bulls raced away top a deserved victory.

The Lions had the first real scoring opportunity, a penalty for what the referee ruled was playing a player in the air. However, Herkie Kruger's shot at goal was well wide. Kruger had another shot at goal soon afterwards, this time for a breakdown offence, and this time he was on target - 3-0 to the Lions after 10 minutes.

It took the Bulls a while to get into their stride, but in the 17th minute Morné Steyn became the new South African record holder for Super Rugby points when he landed a penalty - 3-all. Steyn surpassed André Pretorius' mark of 645 points.

The Bulls hit the front in the 24th minute, Steyn's second penalty - after yet another offence at the breakdown.

Kruger had a chance to level matters a few minutes later, another breakdown penalty, but he was wide of the mark.

Steyn stretched the Bulls' lead to six points, 9-3, after a scrum penalty in the 33rd minute. And with less than five minutes left in the half Steyn made it 12-3, when Lions scrumhalf Jano Vermaak was penalised for kicking an opponent in the back - getting a warning from the referee and can probably regard himself as lucky not to be carded.

The Lions then showed their attacking skills, with quick hands putting Wandile Mjekevu over on the left wing for the game's first try. It was a basic move in which the ball was shifted very quickly to create the extra space out wide. Kruger's conversion was wide, as the Lions narrowed the gap to 8-12 with two minutes left ion the clock.

The Bulls make a late charge for a try of their own, but Pierre Spies failed to hold onto the ball with the tryline at his mercy.

However, the men from Pretoria wasted no time in getting the scoreboard ticking in the second half - a penalty for obstruction became a five-metre lone-out, which the Bulls mauled over effectively for Derick Kuün to score his team's first try. Steyn, who seemed to have regained his kicking form, slotted his fifth kick of the afternoon, the conversion making it 19-8.

Kruger managed to narrow the gap to 11-19 soon afterwards, when he barely managed to sneak the kick over from right in front.

Steyn got the three points straight back when the Lions were penalised in front of their own posts after a series of penalty advantages as the Bulls lifted the tempo.

The next score was a moment of brilliance by Bulls fullback Zane Kirchner, putting through a well-weighted grubber kick after a great break, with wing Gerhard van den Heever there to grab the bouncing ball and dot down. The call did go to the TMO, but he did take long to award the try. Steyn kept his 100 percent record intact when he landed the touchline conversion - 29-11.

And moments later Kirchner put Van den Heever over again, this time with a great pass, after a Lions mistake handed the ball back to the Bulls. Steyn missed his first kick at goal for the game, but at 34-11 and less than 15 minutes remaining the game was over as a contest - just leaving the Bulls to chase a fourth try for a bonus point.

The bonus-point score came in the 76th minute. From a five-metre line-out the Lions defended the drive well, but once the Bulls went to their pod-system of big runners they started to find space and Steyn scored the fourth try. He added the conversion for a 41-11 lead.

And two minutes later Wynand Olivier got his reward for some hard word earlier when he scored the fifth try - a strong run from Jacques-Louis Potgieter, with the tiring Lions defenders starting to fall off the tackles all too regularly. Potgieter's attempted conversion was wide, but 46-11 showed the Bulls' dominance in the second-half.

And the rout was completed when John Mametsa went over on the left wing after a well-worked move from a line-out and a few rucks. Steyn's conversion attempt was wide, but the Bulls had returned home with another emphatic win and their fourth 60-pointer of the season and also the fourth time they had scored six tries or more in a game - 51-11.

Man of the match: You can look at the bravery of Lions loose forwards Cobus Grobbelaar and Wikus van Heerden, the energetic running of Michael Killian and some big hits from Herkie Kruger. However, in such a big win the real heroes were in blue. Fullback Zane Kirchner looked a lot more assured than what he did on the road, flyhalf Morné Steyn regained his best kicking form, while scrumhalf Heinie Adams overcame a shaky start to produce a composed performance. There was also the usual abrasive performances from forwards like Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Danie Rossouw, Gary Botha and Gurthrö Steenkamp. However, our award goes to Bulls centre Wynand Olivier - for his strong ball-in-hand performance and keeping the Lions defence honest all afternoon.

The scorers:

For the Bulls:
Tries: Kuün, Van den Heever 2, Steyn, Olivier Mametsa
Cons: Steyn 3
Pens: Steyn 5

For the Lions:
Try: Mjekevu
Pens: Kruger 2

Yellow card: Hannes Franklin (Lions, 79 - foul play, dangerous and late tackle)

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 John Mametsa, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Derick Kuün, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Deon Stegmann, 20 Fourie du Preez, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg.

Lions: 15 Carlos Spencer, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Marius Delport, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Derick Minnie, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Nico Luus, 3 Gert Muller, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Kevin Buys, 18 Wouter Moore, 19 Justin Wheeler, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Deon van Rensburg, 22 Tonderai Chavhanga.

Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Joey Salmans (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)

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