Vodacom Cup
Bulls late show buries Pumas
2010-03-05 19:32
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Pretoria - The Vodacom Blue Bulls scored 22 points in the second half to beat the Pumas 29-15 (half-time 7-3) after an uninspiring first half in their Vodacom Cup match on Friday.
The Pumas, who will be playing in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division this year, have not won in Pretoria in nine years and they seemed to have a chance as they rattled a Bulls team featuring several players who were teenage stars not long ago.
The Bulls had to do with the ferocious driving play of the bulky Pumas forwards and both teams were in sight of the tryline in the opening quarter when handling mistakes cost them dear.
The home team's star flyhalf, Francois Brummer, also had an off night with the boot as he missed his first three kicks at goal.
Pumas wing Braam Pretorius, by contrast, teed up his first kick at goal in the 19th minute and succeeded from a tight angle after the Bulls had been penalised for taking a player out without the ball.
The Bulls were also not helped by wing Sello "John" Mametsa being yellow-carded in the 25th minute for a "spear tackle" that was inconsequential. Fortunately for the home side, the Pumas failed to score any points while Mametsa was in the sin-bin, with Pretorius missing the resultant penalty and another in the 35th minute when eighthman Christo le Roux's powerful surge forced hands in the ruck.
The Bulls were tremendously focused in defence throughout the match, their organisation being superb and, when they needed to scramble, they did so with great determination.
The Loftus Versfeld scoreboard clock was counting down the last few seconds of the first half when the Pumas suffered a breakdown in their own structures. An untidy lineout and then a poor pass in the backline left them staring at each other as the Bulls hacked ahead and earned a penalty, which was kicked to touch. Lock Mthunzi "Fudge" Mabeta, one of their stars of the evening, claimed the ball and flank Okkie Kruger was driven over for the try, which Brummer converted.
The Bulls came out a different side after their first-half scare and rapidly shut the Pumas out of the game with a penalty and a converted try in the first 10 minutes after the break.
The Pumas were guilty of killing the ball in the ruck practically from the kick-off and Brummer slotted an easy penalty from in front of the posts. Mametsa then turned provider for centre Stefan Watermeyer, who pounced on the wing's cross-kick just before it went into touch-in-goal.
Brummer's conversion put the Bulls 17-3 up and the Pumas seemed doomed to be bridesmaids once again at Loftus. But the visitors came charging back tenaciously.
The Bulls spent much of the next 10 minutes using whatever means, fair or foul, to keep the Pumas out and referee Stuart Berry awarded several penalties to the visitors, as well as an entirely legitimate yellow card to replacement flank Devin Oosthuizen for repeated offences by the team.
The power of the Pumas forwards eventually told and replacement lock Jaco Bouwer crossed for the first of their two close-range tries.
Pretorius, with the scent of the sideline chalkdust in his nose, kicked an excellent conversion to make the score 17-10 and it was obvious the match was entering a crucial stage.
But the Pumas will be stewing over their failure to control the next kick-off, and pressure from Kruger, who enjoyed a top-class game, led to a turnover and a try for hooker Zane Botha, who darted over on the blindside of a ruck close to the line. Replacement flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff converted to give the Bulls a healthy 24-10 lead.
The Pumas came back again, though, bashing away at the Bulls defence until it eventually gave in out wide and loose forward Eduan van der Walt scored (24-15).
But the Bulls had the final say as concerted pressure of their own led to a massive overlap for centre Deon Helberg to score.
Scorers:
Vodacom Blue Bulls - Tries: Okkie Kruger, Stefan Watermeyer, Zane Botha, Deon Helberg. Conversions: Francois Brummer (2), Marnitz Boshoff. Penalty: Brummer.
Pumas - Tries: Jaco Bouwer, Eduan van der Walt. Conversion: Braam Pretorius. Penalty: Pretorius.The Vodacom Blue Bulls scored 22 points in the second half to beat the Pumas 29-15 (half-time 7-3) after an uninspiring first half in their Vodacom Cup match in Pretoria on Friday.