Excellent Anscombe buries Bulls
10 Mar 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on the match where Gareth Anscombe scored all the Blues’ points in a 29-23 victory over the Bulls at Loftus.
Where has this kid been? The Blues have kept faith with the mediocre Michael Hobbs (unavailable tonight) but the 20-year-old Anscombe has surely ousted him through this accomplished, all-round performance. His goalkicking was particularly impressive, outshining Morne Steyn, whose two from six return – the majority of those easy shots – was out of character.
The Bulls just never settled into a distinctive pattern despite bossing possession, territory and the set phases. Credit to the Blues, who, after building a 12-point lead at half-time, played intelligently and forced the Bulls into expansive attacks. The Blues held firm in defence, waiting for runners to isolate themselves then stifling the recycle or forcing infringements at the breakdown.
The Bulls started in the worst possible fashion, conceding a try three minutes into the contest when Anscombe snatched a loose ball and sprinted 50m to score and convert.
However, the Bulls rebounded well, profiting from a man advantage after Ali Williams had been binned with Pierre Spies rounding off a slick blindside move. The Bulls built immense pressure thereafter but butchered a number of scoring opportunities in the Blues’ red zone. They will lament this period when they review the match.
Steyn had missed the earlier conversion attempt then sent an easy shot wide to further compound the Bulls’ struggles. He traded penalties with Anscombe thereafter, but the latter was over the whitewash again just before the break, after a Bulls move broke down well upfield. Anscombe kicked the conversion to give the Blues a commanding 20-8 lead at the break.
Steyn banked three but Anscombe kicked a beauty from the touchline to keep the Blues’ tally ticking over. And the Blues got better as the match progressed, exhibiting none of the tactical naivety that had marked their previous defeats. They punched up through phases and Anscombe continued his kicking masterclass, adding his fourth penalty of the evening to take his side 15 points ahead.
With seven minutes to go the Bulls set up a tense finish, Bjorn Basson scoring. But Steyn pushed his effort wide and despite a late try from Basson the Bulls never threatened to steal the points.
Their limitations when asked to chase a game were brutally exposed tonight. Their impotence is concerning but there is time to remedy their shortcomings in this regard.
482 Comments
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11 Mar 2012, 02:27 am
@Sir Rugga(Sir Rugga)-348:
I am surprised that you can even get bottles in the ground. most sports grounds ban them for that very reason! the pretoria boere normally throw naartjie (mandarin) peels at the field.
no doubt the individual involved will be duly punished – but i suggest you avoid making sweeping statements over SA rugby fans when you cite 2 incidents over 10 years! your just trolling when you do that!
11 Mar 2012, 02:36 am
@Sir Rugga(Sir Rugga)-348:
Dont blame all the fans because of one bad apple
11 Mar 2012, 02:38 am
@Sir Rugga(Sir Rugga)-345:
its because they are whinging Yappie skum with an inbred inability to accept others as their superior.
11 Mar 2012, 02:39 am
@Sir Rugga(Sir Rugga)-348:
That guy was a stupid individual.
11 Mar 2012, 02:56 am
@Clanerk(Clanerk)-252:
This is a sore loser.
Its amazing how many times when a Bok team loses, alot of you guys go down the road of ugly kiwi women and bad mouthing us Kiwis.
Why?
Are you really that sad of a person?
I have two daughters, i think they are the most beautiful girls ever. If a clown like yourself bad mouthed my girls i would make you look damn stupid as your posts normally do.
I have met a few South Africans, i work with 3 actually. Great people, unlike you.
11 Mar 2012, 03:07 am
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-354:
True, he was.
You get them at every match and in all countries. Can only blame the individual.
Now saying that, lets see what would have happened if a Kiwi through the bottle at a South African.
Then you would see that all Kiwis are Drunks and abusive and bash there kids…… oh thats right
its all ready been said on here
11 Mar 2012, 03:07 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-356:
through = threw
11 Mar 2012, 03:25 am
Freakin post got lost somewhere.
let me as a proudly south African just say this re the confrontation by the Bulls manager with Mealamu.
That was totally out of order and Mealamu should’ve moered him before he was dragged away by basson.
It’is a disgrace that somebody with that kind of standing with one of the leading franchises in SA rugby can act in such a manner. I doubt that the Bulls will take any action against this fool but I hope that SARU will show some ballas and act against his union.
This is not the 1st time that thisfool act in a manner unbecoming to someone in his position.
11 Mar 2012, 03:55 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-356:
Ae Cane, hearing you. Have become immune to some of the outlandish statements made on here, but certain individuals get on my nerve. The majority are very funny and articulate. Unlike you I only have sons, one is in Brisbane working there, coming home soon for his 21st soon and the youngest is on a fishing boat heading for Fiji.
I better go and do something constructive like listen to the cricket while mowing the lawns.
Kia kite ano
11 Mar 2012, 04:02 am
hard luck to the Bulls and their fans on the blues game…however it’s a loooong season and the time to peak should be when nearing the play-offs anyway and not round 3 so it’s early days for all potential finalists…more like a marathon than a sprint this extended competition now…
11 Mar 2012, 04:15 am
As for the skinny white yarpie who “bottled’ the legendary Mealamu…. get used to losing, you chump.
11 Mar 2012, 04:44 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-361:
If Mealamu sounds like Bryce and Browneye, then he had it coming.
We’re getting pissed with you people.
11 Mar 2012, 04:46 am
The Bulls deserved to lose to a team who made their own luck.
Walsh reffed this game very well. No complaints until the last minute.
All this being said, Walsh did stuff up at the final whistle. I think that he was in a rush to make it for Happy Hour at the Kroeg.
11 Mar 2012, 06:50 am
having these conferences is giving a grossly unfair advantage to the Australian champs the Reds
You have the Saffers and Kiwis bashing the **** out of each other in their own conferences while the Reds get to play scary teams like the Force , Rebels Brumbies and the Tahs
Im pretty sure any team from the other 2 groups would love that draw
Basically it is a free pass into the finals without over taxing the players either physically or mentally
Each team should play each other once
and the the top 4 teams into the semis
that would be much fairer
11 Mar 2012, 06:51 am
@YoMama(YoMama)-362: For thumping you in your own back yard? Get used to that too.
11 Mar 2012, 06:56 am
@spartan(spartan)-364:
well it was the aussies who designed this conference system. i still cant figure out why the kiwis supported it though. I guess they’ll wake up after a few more provinces go broke. maybe.
in any event kiwi conference looking the strongest so far. SA teams always take a while to hit their straps, and go back through history – week 3 is usually our worst.
11 Mar 2012, 06:58 am
munkiboi,is it expensive to go and watch a super 15 game in nz?
11 Mar 2012, 06:59 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-355:
this blog has a habit of bringing out the worst in people – from both our countries.
show me a “good” loser, and I’ll show you a loser…
11 Mar 2012, 07:14 am
@munkiboi(munkiboi)-366:
Well the end result is the injury count in the NZ conference is skyrocketing
with the local derbys being particularly brutal
11 Mar 2012, 07:32 am
Hondo
you are becoming one helluva pain in the ***.Your blatant racism does not sit well on this site.You blame non-white players for anything and everything.Please do us all a favour and f off,take Langes and ET with you.
11 Mar 2012, 07:41 am
Stay classy South Africa!
11 Mar 2012, 08:13 am
@corms(corms)-371: Become classy, you mean?
11 Mar 2012, 08:16 am
Steyn off day cost us the game
11 Mar 2012, 08:18 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-372: That happened when you left.
11 Mar 2012, 08:19 am
Morne Steyn’ed your undies, no follow-through required.
11 Mar 2012, 08:21 am
I saw the guy tussling with mealamu and thought they should have arrested him… is he the same guy who threw the bottle…?
either way and anyway… they should lock the bottle-chucker up in pretoria central holding cells till monday… and then they should throw the book at him for assault…
scumbag…
but also have to say the guys tarring all saffas with the same brush are letting their own issues and prejudices show…
there are good and bad in all groups, communities and nationalities… be real and condemn the individual…
11 Mar 2012, 08:22 am
None of the SA teams looking too hot at this stage of the tounament. A bit of a reality check for the likes of Tac who think just turning up is enough.
11 Mar 2012, 08:31 am
@ufo(ufo)-376:
storm in teacup
old man just frustrated
Meleamu should just walked away
11 Mar 2012, 08:43 am
Good grief Cape Town is outstanding today for this big bike ride.
Vokken beautiful place!
11 Mar 2012, 08:44 am
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-367:
no it is pretty reasonable. there’s just not a lot of people here.
11 Mar 2012, 08:44 am
g13g…
no justification… old man shoulda just gone home… if you condone ‘frustrated’ fans assaulting players and then say its the players fault for not walking away… then you really got your priorities wrong…
bulls union should also explain how they let a drunk fan onto the field… thought their 2010 upgrade made loftus a world class facility… fans should not be able to get onto the field
11 Mar 2012, 08:47 am
Am looking for robzim amongst the leaders.
No luck
11 Mar 2012, 08:50 am
@ufo(ufo)-381:
agree.
11 Mar 2012, 08:54 am
@ufo(ufo)-381:
I see it from both sides. the old man will get a stern warning but nothing more.
Loftus is notorius for its fanatical fans. sometimes it cross line but it comes with the atmosphere.
11 Mar 2012, 08:56 am
Short wheel between second and third
11 Mar 2012, 09:23 am
Just to add to the Bulls woes, their Vodacom Cup side lost as well yesterday.
11 Mar 2012, 09:35 am
Mayor Zille has just hit Simonstown
11 Mar 2012, 10:17 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-387: Should we evacuate the Peninsula?
11 Mar 2012, 10:45 am
Not yet. Wait till Fikile hits Hout Bay.
11 Mar 2012, 10:50 am
@garth(garth)-346:
“boere”
Who said the guy was a “boer”, and plural? it was one moron.
:eyebrow:
11 Mar 2012, 11:12 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-372: Since you left you dumb retarded Yarpie
11 Mar 2012, 11:31 am
@heboric(heboric)-391:
11 Mar 2012, 11:32 am
@greatest13gerber(greatest13gerber)-384:
What?
Both sides?
The guy that threw the bottle then marched on the field to have a go with players has a side?
And all this has to do with Atmosphere you say.
I am sorry but when you get 90000 people playing a bledisloe cup at MCG, that is what you call atmosphere but without the sore losing drunkards coming on the ground to bash the players.
11 Mar 2012, 12:05 pm
if you look at Keith Brown’s performance yesterday then there its no surprise that Bryce was NZ’s ref of the year in 2011. F*ck where do they get these okes? are they grade 3 drop outs who are given a whistle and told to become a rugby ref? NZRU should be ashamed, but then also if your mentor is Paddy you have no chance!!! its like telling a rehabilitated
child molestor to have Robin Brooke as his idol! … a big f up!
11 Mar 2012, 12:14 pm
nama1 one would think that you are used to this behaviour! i mean in the club rugby you support so dearly, there is a messteek en a broken bottle fight in every game … and thats just the players … the spectators are even worse … but i agree, it doesn’t look good on TV (worlwide audience)! not cool!
11 Mar 2012, 12:15 pm
By the way, what happened to old Hugh Bladen? I thought highveld was his territory and Crowley sticked to commentating Newlands games.
11 Mar 2012, 12:21 pm
Dawn…
Patricia is the Mayor… I’m sure neither would appreciate your oops…
11 Mar 2012, 12:50 pm
Garf is a very prejudiced Cape Spaniard.
Very embraboer.
Emboerising.
Emboerit.
Brtrrtt.
11 Mar 2012, 12:56 pm
@nama1(nama1)-358: Was is the Bulls’ MANAGER ???
That is unbelievable.
I don’t know what to say.
11 Mar 2012, 13:00 pm
@PrickBoks going South(PrickBoks going South)-353:
Your english sucks. “..others as their superior”. Stay in school. You’ll pass one day.
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