Bull hit back to deny 'Tahs
Francois Hougaard crossed twice as the Bulls overturned a 17-point deficit against the Waratahs, running out 48-38 winners.
Last Updated: 27/02/10 7:55pm
Francois Hougaard crossed twice as the Bulls overturned a 17-point deficit against the Waratahs, running out 48-38 winners.
The South African side out-scored their Australian opponents by six tries to four but they had to recover from a poor start that saw them down 26-17 at the break.
Tatafu Polota-Nau and Ben Mowen helped the Waratahs move into a 17-0 lead after 15 minutes, but Hougaard scored either side of a Stephen Dippenaar effort to pull the score back.
Further tries from Gerhard van den Heever, Wynand Olivier and Jacques-Louis Potgieter handed the defending champions a 13th win in a row at their Loftus Versfeld ground.
Polota-Nau crossed early on after latching on to a Benn Robinson pass out wide, Berrick Barnes missing the conversion but immediately making amends with a penalty.
Their second try came after Luke Burgess put in Mowen down the left, the latter riding two tackles before falling on the line.
Barnes converted before Bulls got on the scoresheet, Morne Steyn putting Hougaard in under the post with a short pass on the inside.
Penalties
Barnes stretched the lead with a 40-yard drop goal but Steyn cut the deficit before Barnes added two more penalties to open up the gap again.
However, there was plenty of time for the Bulls to respond and they got within shouting distance before half-time, Steyn once again splitting the defence for Dippenaar to run on and touch down.
Steyn's conversion made it 26-17 at the break and the hosts were soon closing in when Steyn added a fourth penalty after 'tahs were caught offside.
Then came the try of the game that finally put the home side in front, stealing the ball at the lineout before running the ball the length and breadth of the field, Hougaard finishing off a breath-taking move in the left corner.
Steyn converted but there was life in the Waratahs yet and Lachie Turner scored against the run of play in the right corner, although Barnes was unable to convert this time.
But the Bulls had taken control of proceedings and Van den Heever swept over for the bonus-point try in the 57th minute, Steyn converting that and the next score from Olivier after the number 10 had floated a pass out wide.
Still the Aussies came, stealing the ball from the restart before a brilliant run from Drew Mitchell got him over in the corner.
However, Potgieter had the final word when he crossed under the posts after collecting a delightful chip over the top from Steyn, who converted to take his personal tally to 18 points with the boot.
