Sweet revenge as Bulls defeat Cheetahs
ON THE CANVAS: Burger Odendaal of the Bulls is tackled by Paul Schoeman of the Cheetahs during the Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld yesterday
at Loftus Versfeld IT was ugly, but the Bulls will gladly take the points and bragging rights from their win over the Cheetahs here in Pretoria last night.
The sweet revenge, however, will leave a little bitter taste in coach Nollis Marais’ mouth as his charges could count themselves lucky to have held on to the five-point victory until the end.
Still fresh in the back of both teams’ minds was the result of the last Super Rugby encounter between the two sides — at Loftus last June.
Then, a wet-behind-the-ears Cheetahs coach Franco Smith surprised many by leading a rookie-filled side to an impressive 42-29 win over the Bulls.
This result would prove to be the straw that broke former Bulls coach Frans Ludeke’s back.
Aside from vengeance, the Bulls’ main target in the match was to maintain Loftus Versfeld’s “fortress” status.
The home side’s 20-10 half-time lead boded well for the team that has not lost a game since their opening match of the season against the Stormers in Cape Town. Going into the game, they had drawn against the high-riding Sharks and had two victories, over the Rebels and Sunwolves.
The Cheetahs were on the hunt for a timely victory — which would be their second of the season — ahead of their bye next week following six matches on the trot.
The Cheetahs’ plump flyhalf Niel Marais put the first points of the match on the scoreboard in the second minute when the visitors were awarded a penalty.
The Free State side continued to attack, with former Bulls fullback Clayton Blommetjies leading the charge.
Bulls winger Jamba Ulengo tried to outdo Warrick Gelant’s comical kick to Jan Serfontein’s behind in the match against the Rebels when he attempted a soccer-esque bicycle kick as he tried to clear the ball from inside his side’s own 22-metre area. He thanked his lucky stars that the ball, which moved backwards, did not result in the Bulls conceding the first try of the match.
Momentum switched in the 12th minute when Cheetahs No 8 Paul Schoeman was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle.
Just a minute later, Bulls lock RG Snyman barged over for the opening try of the match as the home side took the lead for the first time.
The Bulls upped the ante and used their one-man advantage to full potential. In the 21st minute, lock Jason Jenkins scored the Bulls’ second try while Schoeman was still in the naughty chair.
To compound matters, Cheetahs’ flanker Boom Prinsloo limped painfully off the field with what looked like a serious knee injury.
The Bulls suffered the same fate with loosehead prop Lizo Gqoboka, who gave a stellar performance until he sustained an injury in the 35th minute which ended his contribution to the game.
In his time on the field he left a few battered Cheetahs bodies, while also providing some crucial offloads, and not forgetting his core duties as a toughie in the scrums.
It was Ulengo who ensured a 10point lead at the break with the last try of the second half in the 34th minute.
Like the performance in their win over the Sunwolves in Singapore last week, Bulls coach Marais would not have been pleased with the overall execution of his charges. Too many handling errors and some poor decision-making almost cost the Pretoria side the game.
Marais’ counterpart, Smith, would have been more concerned that despite his side having applied more pressure in the second half, they failed to convert their opportunities into points.
The scrum was always going to be a closely monitored and hotly contested affair.
The Cheetahs flexed their muscle in the second half.
The replacement front row, which included Charles Marais and Maks van Dyk, continuously marched back the Bulls’ Trevor Nyakane and Pierre Schoeman in the scrums — a sure step backwards in the eyes of Bulls scrum coach Gary Botha, who had been complimentary of the progress his charges were making.