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Pretoria - The Blue Bulls showed up the newcomers to the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division by running out 38-15 winners against the Pumas at Loftus on Friday night.
The defending champions Blue Bulls, playing without 15 Springboks that were available for the Super 14 final five weeks ago, scored five tries to two and ran up a 31-3 lead before a fight back by the visitors saw them clinch a try before halftime.
Eleven of the Bulls' Springboks are in Australasia; Fourie du Preez and Jaco Pretorius are injured ;and Heini Adams and Pedrie Wannenburg are now overseas.
In a game of few highlights and 26 penalties/free kicks the sides went into the break with the Blue Bulls 31-10 up and already with a bonus point in the bag. They dominated play after the restart but player replacements and good Pumas defence combined to keep the Blue Bulls scoreless in the second half until the 70th minute when they stretched the lead to 38-10.
The Pumas had little of the ball and relied on their defence more than anything to keep the scoreline down.
The lack of structure after the break and introduction of the replacements will be a concern to the Bulls coaching staff, but they will no doubt put much of that down to the many penalties against their side.
Referee Stuart Berry penalised the Blue Bulls endlessly - and there must be a fair amount of frustration in the Blue Bulls camp because of the way they were penalised while opposition tacklers clung on or didn't roll away.
Despite 15 penalties and free kicks to the Pumas no yellow cards were issued.
Alistair Kettledas pulled a try back for the losers, but in the end the Pumas left their first outing in the big league showing little to inspire prospects for a good season.
Blue Bulls
Tries:
John Mametsa (2)
Stefan Watermeyer
Dean Greyling
Stephan Dippenaar
Deon Stegmann
Conversions:
Jacques-Louis Potgieter (3), Francois Brummer
Pumas
Tries:
Tian Meyer
Alistair Kettledas
Conversions:
Ricardo Croy
Penalties:
Croy
Blue Bulls:
15 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 John Mametsa, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Derick Kuün, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Fudge Mabeta, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha (c), 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Juandre Kruger, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Danie Faasen, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Hayden Groepes.
Pumas:
15 Carl Bezuidenhout, 14 Du-Wayne Smart, 13 Ashwin Scott, 12 Jevon Botha, 11 Shaun Venter, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Junior Bester, 7 Eduan van der Walt, 6 Corné Steenkamp, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Luhan Velthuizen, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin (c), 1 Dawie Steyn.
Subs: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Ronnie Uys, 18 Willem Serfontein, 19 Doppies le Roux, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Elgar Watts, 22 Alistair Kettledas.
The defending champions Blue Bulls, playing without 15 Springboks that were available for the Super 14 final five weeks ago, scored five tries to two and ran up a 31-3 lead before a fight back by the visitors saw them clinch a try before halftime.
Eleven of the Bulls' Springboks are in Australasia; Fourie du Preez and Jaco Pretorius are injured ;and Heini Adams and Pedrie Wannenburg are now overseas.
In a game of few highlights and 26 penalties/free kicks the sides went into the break with the Blue Bulls 31-10 up and already with a bonus point in the bag. They dominated play after the restart but player replacements and good Pumas defence combined to keep the Blue Bulls scoreless in the second half until the 70th minute when they stretched the lead to 38-10.
The Pumas had little of the ball and relied on their defence more than anything to keep the scoreline down.
The lack of structure after the break and introduction of the replacements will be a concern to the Bulls coaching staff, but they will no doubt put much of that down to the many penalties against their side.
Referee Stuart Berry penalised the Blue Bulls endlessly - and there must be a fair amount of frustration in the Blue Bulls camp because of the way they were penalised while opposition tacklers clung on or didn't roll away.
Despite 15 penalties and free kicks to the Pumas no yellow cards were issued.
Alistair Kettledas pulled a try back for the losers, but in the end the Pumas left their first outing in the big league showing little to inspire prospects for a good season.
Blue Bulls
Tries:
John Mametsa (2)
Stefan Watermeyer
Dean Greyling
Stephan Dippenaar
Deon Stegmann
Conversions:
Jacques-Louis Potgieter (3), Francois Brummer
Pumas
Tries:
Tian Meyer
Alistair Kettledas
Conversions:
Ricardo Croy
Penalties:
Croy
Blue Bulls:
15 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 John Mametsa, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Derick Kuün, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Fudge Mabeta, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha (c), 1 Dean Greyling.
Subs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Juandre Kruger, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Danie Faasen, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Hayden Groepes.
Pumas:
15 Carl Bezuidenhout, 14 Du-Wayne Smart, 13 Ashwin Scott, 12 Jevon Botha, 11 Shaun Venter, 10 Ricardo Croy, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Junior Bester, 7 Eduan van der Walt, 6 Corné Steenkamp, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Luhan Velthuizen, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin (c), 1 Dawie Steyn.
Subs: 16 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 17 Ronnie Uys, 18 Willem Serfontein, 19 Doppies le Roux, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Elgar Watts, 22 Alistair Kettledas.
