Blunt-force Bulls too good for Province 'trickery'
MATCH REPORT: The Bulls moved back to the top of the Currie Cup standings with a come-from-behind 50-34 win over a Western Province team full of trickery at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The visitors, exploiting the sloppiness of the Bulls, raced into a comfortable 27-10 half-time lead.
However, the home team scored six second-half tries - four of those in 15 minutes of utter dominance after the restart.
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Further intrigue was added when Western Province sent on Siyabonga Ntubeni as a prop replacement - meaning the scrums became uncontested and the visitors lost another player, according to the laws.
WP continued to play musical chairs with their replacements, causing enormous confusion and lengthy delays.
Their games and trickery did not help them, as two tries in the final 10 minutes put the game beyond the reach of the visitors.
That did not look like it might materialise in an utterly dreadful opening half-hour.
The Bulls were far too predictable with their blunt force approach, allowing the Province defenders to repeatedly knock down their ball carriers.
Their lack of discipline also cost the home team dearly - captain Nizaam Carr was yellow-carded in the 22nd minute.
By the time he returned 10 minutes later, his team had coughed up 14 points.
* (To recap all the drama, CLICK HERE!)
(Continue below ....)
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The game got underway at a frantic pace, but the opening 10 minutes only produced a Jaco van der Walt penalty and a sweetly-struck drop-goal by Jurie Matthee.
In the 15th minute, WP lost starting prop Sazi Sandi to a Head Injury Assessment - after he got bumped by wing Stravino Jacobs.
It got worse two minutes later when the visitors' other starting prop Lizo Gqoboka limped off with an injury.
However, a scrum penalty allowed Matthee to get his team into the lead - 6-3 towards the end of the first quarter.
That was followed by lock Hendré Stassen charging over from five metres out after an impressive build-up in which forwards and backs combined impressively. Matthee added the conversion - 13-3.
It got worse for the home team, as captain Nizaam Carr was yellow-carded for a dangerous, high tackle.
Minutes later Wandisile Simelane got the visitors' second try - Matthee putting through a sublime grubber and Angelo Davids tapping it over the line for his teammate to dot down. Matthee added the conversion - 20-3 on the half-hour mark.
Jonathan Roche then launched a sublime chip-kick, which allowed Imad Khan to score the visitors' third try. Matthee made it 27-3 with the conversion.
The Bulls finally got some reward for the blunt force approach, flyhalf Jaco van der Walt going over after some great interplay down the left wing with Stravino Jacobs. Van der Walt added the conversion to narrow the gap to 10-27 at half-time.
Celimpilo Gumede continued the comeback with a solo try two minutes after the restart, picking up from a ruck and sprinting 30 metres. Van der Walt/s conversion made it a 10-point game - 17-27.
Minutes later replacement Francois Klopper got the home team's third try - a series of effective raids being rewarded. Van der Walt narrowed the gap to three points - 24-27.
The Bulls hit the lead in the 53rd minute - Izak Burger sniping over from a ruck close to the line. Van der Walt made it 31-27.
Joe van Zyl made that 36-27, when he finished off another raid that showed the Bulls improved interplay. The conversion was disallowed.
A poor clearance attempt by Burger saw Clayton Blommetjies launch a counter, finished in fine fashion by Angelo Davids. Matthee made it a two-point game - 34-36 and just under 20 minutes remaining.
Replacement Juann Else then got an armchair ride from, a line-out maul. The call went to the TMO, who ruled out the try, but awarded a penalty to the Bulls for playing the jumper in the air.
However, the Bulls messed up the tap-and-go, allowing WP to clear their lines.
Else eventually got his try, some more blunt force getting them close before the replacement hooker worked his way over with brute power. Van der Walt made it a nine-point game - 43-34.
On the stroke of full-time Van der Walt got his second, adding the conversion to make the final score 50-34.
The scorers
For the Bulls
Tries: Van der Walt 2, Gumede, Klopper, Burger, Van Zyl, Else
Cons: Van der Walt 6
Pen: Van der Walt
For Western Province
Tries: Stassen, Simelane, Khan, Davids
Cons: Matthee 3
Pen: Matthee
DG: Matthee
Yellow card: Nizaam Carr (Bulls, 23 - foul play, dangerous tackle)
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Boeta Chamberlain, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 12 Chris Barend Smit, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Izak Burger, 8 Celimpilo Gumede, 7 Merwe Olivier, 6 Nizaam Carr (captain), 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Khuthazani Mchunu, 2 Joe van Zyl, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Juann Else, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Sintu Manjezi, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Nama Xaba.
Western Province: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Jurie Matthee, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Divan Fuller, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Hendré Stassen, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Corne Weilbach, 19 Andre Goedhuis, 20 CJ Velleman, 21 Labib Kannemeyer, 22 Damian Markus, 23 Luke Burger.
Referee: Aimee Barret Theron
TMO: Quinton Immelman
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