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 Bulls run riot over Highlanders at home March 14, 2010
The Bulls won their 10th straight Super14 match at Lofus when they beat the Highlanders by 50 points to 35 in Round five. The Bulls last Super 14 loss was against the Brumbies in April 2009 and their last loss at Loftus Versfeld was in April 2008 . The Highlanders managed to save some face as they scored five tries - three by Israel Dagg which earned them a bonus point.
For the Bulls - who scored seven tries - Pierre Spies and Francois Houggard both scored two tries a piece.
The Bulls might have beaten the Highlanders and set up their fourth "fifty" in five matches but again there will be a few questions about the defending champions' ability to retain their concentration for 80 minutes.
Too easily they conceded five tries when they were exposed out wide and from turnover ball - and despite, leading at half-time (33-21) for the first time in the present campaign, they were pinned in their own territory too often to feel comfortable about tough opposition waiting on them.
With last year's final against the Hurricanes included, only the 48 points against the Waratahs two weeks ago did not exceed the 50-mark.
The Bulls were outstanding for just a little more than the first quarter and good thereafter - but their defence again leaked five tries as they struggled to bury a willing but very average Highlanders team.
The Bulls for a change started off in top gear, and Gerhard van den Heever's (pictured) 70 metres run of sheer speed on the outside set up what should have been a huge win after Gary Botha and Francois Hougaard had earlier scored.
It was 21-0 after 12 minutes. When a wonderful Bulls try followed to set up their try-bonus point in the 23rd minute, the gates were expected to open.
The Highlanders kicked from their 22, Zane Kirchner fielded on his own 10 metres line, kicked high and tapped back as the visitors awaited the ball.
Dewald Potgieter fielded and when tackled off-loaded to Derick Kuün who sent out an overhead pass for Wynand Olivier to score in the corner.
Amazingly, Morne Steyn missed the difficult conversion, but converted six minutes later after a pick-up from Dewald Potgieter was moved on for Pierre Spies to dot down under the posts. After 29 minutes, it was 33-7 and the Bulls had equalled the Stormers final tally of last week.
In between, a set move from the Bulls backfired in the Highlanders 22 and Israel Dagg finished after a 60 metre run with a conversion from Matt Berquist making it 21-7.
It was the first of Dagg's three tries, two of them handed to him on a platter. With the Bulls slightly off the boil, probably because of their big lead, the visitors scored again after 37 minutes.
From an attacking scrum in the centre of the Bulls 22, scrumhalf Romans used the pop-up off the back of the scrum to run wide and give the reverse pass to Dagg who crossed the line unchallenged for his second try under the posts (33-14).
Steyn added a penalty on the half-time whistle for the Bulls to go into the change room at 36-14.
A six-minute attack from the Highlanders early in the second period was effectively quelled, but then some half-hearted Bulls tackling saw Tim Boys get the ball with no opponent to stop him.
With Berquist converting, the 36-21 scoreline did justice to some Highlanders perseverance and the Bulls' lethargy on defence.
But there was nothing wrong with the Bulls' ability to score tries, and when a rolling lineout maul was halted on the tryline Fourie du Preez off-loaded sublimely to Hougaard who had run a perfect line for his second try.
Steyn, who had just returned from the blood bin, made it 43-21.
The frailties on defence, for whatever reasons, were again exposed when the Highlanders created an overlap and with replacement James Paterson kicking ahead Robbie Robinson ran in their Highlanders' fourth try.
Again Berquist converted (43-28) before the second Spies try took it to 50-28.
The Highlanders took it wide whenever possible, and despite second tries from Man of the Match Spies and Hougaard, who both touched down for their brace in the second half, the Highlanders "won" the second half 21-14.
Final Score Bulls 50 Highlanders 35
Scorers Bulls
Tries - G Botha, F Hougaard 2, Gerhard vd Heever , W Olivier, P. Spies 2 Pen - M Steyn Con - M Steyn 6 Drop - Cards - Highlanders
Tries - Israel Dagg 3, Boys, R Robinson Pen - Con - Matt Berquist 3, I Dagg Drop - Cards - Man of the match : Pierre Spies
Match Officials Teams Bulls - 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard vd Heever, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Derick Kuün, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp. Reserves: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Rossouw de Klerk, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Deon Stegmann, 20 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 21 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg. Highlanders - 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Kenny Lynn, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Sean Romans, 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Tim Boys, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Chris King, 2 Jason MacDonald, 1 Jamie Mackintosh. Reserves: 16 Jason Rutledge, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Hayden Triggs, 19 John Hardie, 20 Scott Cowan, 21 Robbie Robinson, 22 James Paterson. AFP
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