Bulls surge into semis
13 Oct 2012
RYAN VREDE watched the Blue Bulls qualify for the Currie Cup semi-finals with a 50-29 victory over the Golden Lions at Ellis Park.
The Bulls will travel to Kings Park to face the Sharks in one of next Saturday’s semi-finals, but for the first quarter of the match they where in real danger of finishing bottom and having to play a relegation-promotion match to retain their status in the Premier Division.
They trailed by 10 points and were on the ropes as the Lions ran everything. However they regrouped, improved their defensive accuracy and attacking potency to emerge comfortable victors after a testing first 60 minutes.
Mention must be made of Morne Steyn’s goal-kicking, which has been poor this season. The flyhalf amassed 22 points with his boot, many of those kicks from difficult angles.
The Lions, who had already qualified for a home play-off, played with a freedom that reflected their unassailable log position, spreading the ball at most opportunities. They also benefited from Butch James’s pin-point goalkicking – the flyhalf landing two penalties before they scored a try that was birthed deep in their half and featured slick interplay.
But that was as good as it got for the Lions, the Bulls pegging them back through Steyn’s boot before they matched the Lions’ try for wow-factor – Jacques Potgieter cutting the defensive line at speed before offloading to Bjorn Basson to score. Steyn banked the conversion and a couple of penalties to give the Bulls a 22-16 half-time lead.
The Lions had opted to rest a string of their first-choice players, but some of those were introduced and their influence was immediate. Twice they came away from the Bulls’ 22m with points, James sinking a brace of penalties to level the score. However, the Bulls cut loose once more to regain the lead, Arno Botha feeding Jano Vermaak with a pass that appeared to drift forward. Steyn converted from the touchline to take his side seven points ahead.
But the Lions responded brilliantly and instantly, driving into the Bulls’ red zone through intelligent, speedy and powerful phase play before Anthony Volmink wriggled out of a tackle en route to scoring. James kicked his seventh successful goal of the evening to level the scores at 29-29.
With 20 minutes to play, Botha emerged from an impressive rolling maul and powered over the line and four minutes later the Bulls pounced on a senseless quick lineout feed in the Lions’ 22m, Dewald Potgiter crossing the chalk for the try that broke the defending champions’ resistance.
Akona Ndungane gathered another wayward pass shortly thereafter to pave the way for them to put 50 on their Gauteng rivals and set up what has the potential to be a spectacle of note against the Sharks.
358 Comments
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14 Oct 2012, 22:01 pm
@fitz1ella-350: Nothing to do with Heini Adams at all…
It was Blou Ballas match fixing…
Nothing more nothing less…
14 Oct 2012, 22:04 pm
@fitz1ella-350:
when he was good, he was good.
he played most of the reds games which the bulls needed to get 72 points for home semi and by the time fdp came on the damage was done.
lots of respect for him.
but if measured out pound for pound then between the tw oof them in their prime, fdp had the keener tactical and thinking rugby ability imo.
14 Oct 2012, 22:08 pm
@Heavens Game-351:
twak man
that was a very, very good team at their peak playing against a weak demorolised outfit. i suppose you’re gonna say the whipping the chiefs got was also match fixing…?..
14 Oct 2012, 22:09 pm
ok
i’m outta here
cheers you chops
14 Oct 2012, 22:20 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-353:
Yes that was matched fixed as well.
14 Oct 2012, 22:27 pm
if FdP had started that game vs Reds you can rest assured they’d never have gotten that score, it was only down to Heini Adams who kept them motoring on the front foot. If FdP had played that game not a hope of securing that 72 point win, and strange as it was with FdP at the helm Bulls were losing vs Sharks, on comes Adams and Boom they miraculously win in 2007 against the run of play, how about THAT?
15 Oct 2012, 01:05 am
@Hurricane-355:
15 Oct 2012, 19:04 pm
@Heavens Game-351:
Frans Steyn should have kicked the ball out
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