So the Bulls and Cheetahs now head toward their salivating clash this weekend firmly in playoff contention, with the June Test break looming.
Tank Lanning
The three-time champions from Pretoria entrenched their position at the top of the SA Conference – and their second spot on the overall log – when they got out of jail against the Sharks in a tense but scrappy match in Durban.
The Cheetahs scored four tries – three of them in the second half – in their 34-22 win over the Kings in PE, with their four-try bonus point being the only one of the weekend, moving them up to fourth on the log after the Crusaders, Blues and Reds all lost.
This while the Stormers gutsed out an emotional win at a wet and cold Newlands, where Jean de Villiers scored the only try of the match, which was dedicated to Tinus Linee.
Match reviews:
Kings 22 (12) Cheetahs 34 (13)
Three second-half tries saw the Cheetahs record a bonus-point victory over the Kings, which catapulted them to fourth on the log after every other result of the weekend, bar the Bulls getting past the Sharks, went their way.
The game began as an arm wrestle, with the Kings defending well and Demetri Catrakilis punishing poor discipline by the Cheetahs. But it all changed in the 39th minute, when the ever sublime Willie le Roux sliced through the Kings’ defence and put Johann Sadie away for the first try of the match. Elgar Watts’ conversion put the visitors in the lead, meaning they went into the break firmly on the front foot.
The Cheetahs, showing much more enterprise, and some quite brilliant hands, including deft little inside passes from Heinrich Brussow, as the Kings’ defence started to falter, scored three more tries in the first 22 minutes of the second half which ended the game as a contest.
Nicolas Vergallo scored a consolation try late in the game, but they were never really in it after the try. The Cheetahs again scrummed well, but they continue with the experiment of playing Coenie Oosthuizen at tighthead for the last 20 minutes of each match. Which is fine against the Kings, and obviously the player would like to develop as a prop who can play both sides. But as it stands, he is letting himself down, and having to play the full 80 minutes every weekend
Kings – Try: Nicolas Vergallo. Conversion: George Whitehead. Penalty goals: Demetri Catrakilis (5).
Cheetahs – Tries: Johann Sadie (2), Piet van Zyl, Willie le Roux. Conversions: Elgar Watts (4). Penalty goals: Elgar Watts (2).
Stormers 20 (3) Reds 15 (0)
A truly remarkable try by Jean de Villiers was the difference as the Stormers defence came to the fore yet again. Try as hard as they might, Quade Cooper and his mates in Red, just could not find a way though that wall of blue and white …
In a match dominated by the boots of the two kickers, Joe Pietersen and Cooper, it was a moment of brilliance early in the second half that put the home team in command.
Elton Jantjies, largely out of the game for the first 30 minutes given the possession dominance from the Reds, spotted lots of space on the left and chipped across the field to a speeding Bryan Habana in what was clearly something the home side had practiced during the week. Habana gathered and fed Pietersen on the inside, who then put De Villiers away for one of the better tries seen at Newlands in a long time.
Kicks were tough to come by in the swirling wind, meaning the 8-0 lead, with it never really looking like they were going to let the Reds in for a try, made the small cushion a comfortable one.
Cooper’s fifth three-pointer, in the 69th minute, put his side ahead for the first time in the match, and it really could have gone either way. But Pietersen calmly added two more penalties, the first from a fairly controversial call at a kick off, as the Stormers, showing great character against a team that can strike from anywhere on the field, celebrated their first win after three consecutive defeats on Australasian soil.
Stormers – Try: Jean de Villiers. Penalty goals: Joe Pietersen (5).
Reds – Penalty goals: Quade Cooper (5).
Sharks 16 (3) Bulls 18 (9)
The Sharks bullied the Bulls in the scrums, and looked far and away the better side on the day, but Morné Steyn’s goal kicking provided the platform as the Bulls cemented their position in the top two on the log.
Steyn slotted six from seven on a night where the boot dominated in a scrappy match as the wet ball made handling very difficult. And while it may not have been a classic, it was tough and very physical.
The Sharks’ discipline let them down on a night where they not only scored the only try of the match, but also dominated the Bulls scrum. The yellow card to Franco van der Merwe was very costly, but the Durban boys will still be wondering how they actually managed to lose this one …
The visitors did make fewer mistakes, edged the line-out battle, and their defence and kick-chasing were also very good. Heyneke Meyer would have loved Steyn’s performance … Not so much Francois Hougaard though, who still looks very rusty and ponderous. Jano Vermaak must start for the Boks, and Piet van Zyl should be given a look in.
Late in the match, The Sharks enjoyed a period of territorial advantage, which they turned into points when scrumhalf Charl McLeod crashed over in the right corner. Pat Lambie’s superb conversion from out wide put the home team in the lead with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
It was short-lived though, as yet another transgression at a line-out gave Steyn the opportunity to hammer the final nail into the Sharks’ coffin with his sixth penalty goal in the 75th minute as the game played out to a very tense finish.
Sharks – Try: Charl McLeod. Conversion: Pat Lambie. Penalty goals: Lambie (3).
Bulls – Penalty goals: Morné Steyn (6).
Other results – Round 15:
Chiefs 28 Crusaders 19 (Hamilton)
Rebels 24 Waratahs 22 (Melbourne)
Blues 13 Brumbies 20 (Auckland)
Force 19 Highlanders 18 (Perth)
The Super Rugby log:
Chiefs Pld:13 W:10 Pts:52
Bulls Pld:12 W:9 Pts:50
Brumbies Pld:13 W:8 Pts:50
Cheetahs Pld:13 W:9 Pts:45
Reds Pld:14 W:8 Pts:45
Crusaders Pld:12 W:7 Pts:42
Blues Pld:12 W:6 Pts:42
Waratahs Pld:13 W:7 Pts:39
Hurricanes Pld:12 W:6 Pts:38
Sharks Pld:13 W:6 Pts:34
Stormers Pld:12 W:5 Pts:34
Rebels Pld:13 W:4 Pts:32
Kings Pld:12 W:3 Pts:24
Force Pld:14 W:3 Pts:23
Highlanders Pld:12 W:1 Pts:17
South African Conference
Bulls Pld:12 W:9 Pts:50
Cheetahs Pld:13 W:9 Pts:45
Sharks Pld:13 W:6 Pts:34
Stormers Pld:12 W:5 Pts:34
Kings Pld:12 W:3 Pts:24
New Zealand Conference
Chiefs Pld:13 W:10 Pts:52
Crusaders Pld:12 W:7 Pts:42
Blues Pld:12 W:6 Pts:42
Hurricanes Pld:12 W:6 Pts:38
Highlanders Pld:12 W:1 Pts:17
Australian Conference
Brumbies Pld:13 W:8 Pts:50
Reds Pld:14 W:8 Pts:45
Waratahs Pld:13 W:7 Pts:39
Rebels Pld:13 W:4 Pts:32
Force Pld:14 W:3 Pts:23
Next weekend’s fixtures:
Friday, May 31
09:35 – Crusaders vs Waratahs
11:40 – Brumbies vs Hurricanes
Saturday, June 01
09:35 – Highlanders vs Blues
11:40 – Reds vs Rebels
17:05 – Stormers vs Kings
19:10 – Cheetahs vs Bulls
