Bulls battle back to the top
The Bulls kept up their Super 14 finals hopes with a 29-20 win over the Cheetahs.
Last Updated: 09/05/09 7:01pm
The Bulls kept up their Super 14 finals hopes following a hard fought 29-20 win over the Cheetahs in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Bulls dominated the key territory battle but failed to finish many opportunities. It was paramount to the home side winning as well as taking maximum points, but while the Bulls looked lacklustre they will be content with the victory.
The Cheetahs came close to upsetting the Bulls' semi-final party with some outstanding defence, but eventually collapsed in the dying stages of the second-half.
Springbok winger Bryan Habana scored the crucial bonus-point try just seconds before the final whistle, which put the Bulls at the top of the Super 14 standings going into the final round next weekend when the 2007 champions travel to Durban to face the Sharks.
Indiscipline
The Bulls knew before the kick-off that a bonus point victory would take them to the top of the table following the Chiefs' 16-8 defeat of the Hurricanes during the day, leading to an open, fast paced contest.
Cheetahs' scrum-half Tewis de Bruyn opened the visitors' account with a try following a quick-tap penalty in the fifth minute but seven minutes later Habana fielded a poor kick from the visitors and ran like a gazelle before putting Akona Ndungane away for the Bulls' first try.
The visitors wasted no time and within three minutes they regained the lead with former Springbok Hendro Scholtz storming through, after a quick Meyer Bosman throw-in caught the Bulls unaware.
Fly-half Naas Olivier - who converted both tries - added a penalty in the 23rd minute to take the Cheetahs into a 15-7 lead but the tournament basement dwellers had to see the last ten minutes of the first-half with fourteen men due to Scholtz's yellow card following a high tackle on Habana.
Adversity
With Scholtz in the bin, the Bulls launched attack after attack in the visitors' 22, but the Cheetahs defended their goal-line like Spartans and the upshot was that the Bulls could not score a single point with Scholtz on the sideline.
The Cheetahs conceded another yellow card within the last few seconds of the first-half and with Wian du Preez going to the sideline Morné Steyn kicked his first penalty to take the Bulls to the change room with the score 15-10 in the Cheetahs' favour.
With the Cheetahs leading 15-10 at the break, the team from Bloemfontein swiftly extended their lead to 20-10 thanks to a breakaway try in the 47th minute by speedster Jongi Nokwe, but Chiliboy Ralepelle replied in adequate manner with the Bulls' second try in the 53rd minute to make the score 20-17.
The Cheetahs conceded their third yellow card in the 65th minute as a result of an illegal tackle by De Bruyn on Ndungane, but Ndungane quickly recovered and moments later went over for the Bulls' third try to take the Bulls into a 22-20 lead.
With the Bulls leading for the first time in the match they continued to hunt the elusive fourth try and after some nerve racking moments in the last ten minutes Habana intercepted a pass from Meyer Bosman and dived over to wrap up the match.
The Cheetahs played their hearts out - they defended as if their lives depended on it and gave it their all for 80 minutes but during the closing stages the Bulls' patience on attack paid off and the end product was a very impressive bonus point victory.
