Bulls hold out to beat Hurricanes

The Bulls rumble on, but only just after the Hurricanes gave them their toughest test of the Super 14 season in a tremendous arm-wrestle in Pretoria.

The Pretoria-based side eventually got home 19-18 over the Canes, inflicting a third straight defeat on the New Zealanders on their ill-fated tour of the republic, but had to work as hard as they have all year.

The Bulls didn’t hit the lead until the 67th minute of an absorbing match when superboot Morne Steyn slotted his third penalty of the second half, but after that they were at their clinical best as they closed the match out efficiently and with little in the way of bells and whistles. The Canes never got a sniff over the run home as they slipped to a 3-3 record, and with plenty still to do if they hope to get back into the semifinal picture.

The win not only extended the Bulls’ home record to 15 straight victories, but marked the 100th Super rugby game by outstanding captain Victor Matfield in style, if not in any sort of spectacular fashion.

It had been a big effort by the Canes who outscored the Bulls two tries to one and absorbed a heap of pressure in the second half, especially when flanker Victor Vito had been dispatched to the sinbin at the 60-minute mark.

But there was also much to admire about the clinical nature of the Bulls’ play in the second half, as they worked their way slowly but surely into the lead, never veering too far from their well-worn game-plan based on the high kick and chase, and that awesome rolling maul that is nigh on unstoppable.

It was in those two phases of play that the Canes struggled the most, with at least 16 handling errors coming as the high ball barrage continued throughout, and the visitors never coming to terms with that rumbling maul that drew a host of penalties, and eventually Vito’s sinbinning.

The Hurricanes will still take plenty out of a huge effort, especially in the second half when they had to make a heap of tackles to stay in the game as the Bulls won a mountain of possession and hammered away with relentless precision.

The Canes -- the last team to roll the Bulls at home back in April 2008 – had their chances, but just couldn’t win enough ball in the second half to capitalise on the advantage they’d accrued via an outstanding first half that saw them lead 15-10 at the break.

But a fifth straight win for the new season solidifies the Bulls’ position at the top of the table, and leaves them well placed as they head off on their four-game tour. It wasn’t always pretty from the efficient outfit from Pretoria, but you had to admire the way they took the best shots of a pretty fired up Kiwi outfit, and then still found a way to grab victory out of a slightly muddling performance.

If the previously out-of-sorts Hurricanes had been intimidated by the reputation of their hosts at their Loftus stronghold, they did a good job of disguising it as they burst out of the blocks.

In fact the large turnout of home fans were almost stunned into silence as Colin Cooper’s men made a near perfect start, shaking off a few early anxious moments to cross for two tries, and a 12-0 lead, inside the first 20 minutes.

There was even an early Morne Steyn penalty miss as the Bulls made a surprisingly inefficient start, failing to punish their visitors as the inexperienced Andre Taylor and Alapati Leiua struggled to deal with the first few bombs they faced.

But after a dozen minutes it was the New Zealanders who drew first blood, flanker Karl Lowe crossing wide on the left as the Hurricanes were rewarded for a prolonged – and patient – buildup. Eventually the Bulls’ defence was worn down and good hands found the No 7 as one attacker too many for the home side to deal with.

But the Canes weren’t done. Soon after Leiua made a hash of a promising two-on-one situation on the right, the New Zealanders made the most of a rare lineout take off the Bulls’ throw.

Victor Matfield’s impressive set piece is widely considered the best in the business, but the Hurricanes did well to pinch one from under their noses in the 20th minute, with more excellent continuity work taking them to the shadow of the home posts.

When the under-pressure Bulls eventually infringed, Ma’a Nonu sized up the situation perfectly by taking a quick tap and putting his thundering lock over for a crucial seven-pointer.

Inevitably the Bulls’ response came, with emerging star wing Gerhard van den Heever going within a hair’s breadth of a beautifully taken try when Leiua again couldn’t field a high kick.

The Canes survived that moment, but could do nothing soon after as the Bulls looked to rumble a 5m scrum over, and then off a tapped penalty did well to put fullback Zane Kirchner across wide on the right.

Steyn’s conversion and then a late three-pointer got the Bulls back to within two, but a Ripia penalty on the stroke of halftime extended the visitors’ lead to a tenuous 15-10 with the Bulls no doubt in for some harsh words as they headed into the sheds.

Ripia extended the Hurricanes’ lead to eight points early in the second spell, but three straight Steyn penalties eventually hauled in the visitors, with the Bulls happy to play out the match camped deep in enemy territory.

The Hurricanes forwards competed manfully up front, none more so than Rodney So’oialo, Thrush, Lowe and Michael Paterson, while the All Black midfield of Nonu and Conrad Smith had their best collective performance of the year.

But the Bulls forwards take some stopping at maul time, are led superbly by Matfield and their rigid kick-and-chase game-plan continues to be executed with precision and commitment.

It’s now back to the drawing board for the Hurricanes who return home having well and truly lost the momentum of their three straight wins to open the season. But on the strength of a committed effort tin Pretoria, they’ll at least have some hope they can get things back on track.

Bulls 19 (Zane Kirchner tries; Morne Steyn 4 pens, con),

Hurricanes 18 (Karl Lowe, Jeremy Thrush tries; Willie Ripia 2 pens, con).

Ht: 10-15.

- © Fairfax NZ News