Bulls end Sharks’ run as Lambie limps off field
THE Sharks are not invincible and suffered their first defeat of the season at Loftus Versfeld last night.
It was sweet revenge for the Bulls, who notched up their third successive Super Rugby victory with this win, avenging the 16-31 defeat they suffered when the two sides met in Durban last month.
There was no Pierre Spies, no Flip van der Merwe or vicecaptain Akona Ndungane for the Bulls, but veteran Victor Matfield led from the front in only his third start since ending a two-year retirement.
The last time Matfield led the Bulls at Loftus as captain, it was, coincidentally, against the Sharks, and the Bulls lost that game 26-23.
Midway through the game it seemed the Bulls may lose again, but whatever Matfield and coach Frans Ludeke said in the dressing room fired up the Bulls players.
It was a bruising, physical battle in the first half with both sides giving as good as they got, but it was the Sharks who felt the impact.
Last week, they lost promising lock Pieter-Steph du Toit ahead of their match against the Reds; last night it was flyhalf Patrick Lambie, who walked off the field within the first five minutes of the match with an arm injury — giving 20-year-old Tim Swiel his first run in Super Rugby.
The injury woes continued when, moments later, nippy scrumhalf Cobus Reinach had to be replaced by the experienced Charl McLeod.
Despite the injury setbacks,
It was a bruising battle in the first half
the Durban side drew first blood with a try from Springbok flanker Willem Alberts, who crossed over the whitewash in the seventh minute for the first points of the match.
A minute
earlier, Frans Steyn uncharacteristically missed an easy penalty.
The home side scored their first points in the 14th minute after Jacques-Louis Potgieter slotted a penalty. The flyhalf added a further three points with a drop goal halfway through the first stanza.
With the Sharks having gone into the break 13-6 ahead, the Bulls came back a rejuvenated side and managed to turn around the deficit to win ahead of next week's clash against the Chiefs.
They started the second half with back-to-back tries from flanker Jacques du Plessis and centre JJ Engelbrecht
Earlier in the week, coach Ludeke spoke about discipline and the danger of the boot of Frans Steyn, but the Bulls gave away crucial penalties, that Steyn slotted in with ease, including two 55m bombs, as the Sharks gave chase.
Despite a gallant fight, Handre Pollard put the last nail into the coffin with a minute to go to hand the Sharks their first defeat of the season.