Steyn sinks gutsy WP
17 Oct 2009
A 78th minute penalty by Morne Steyn secured the Bulls a 21-19 victory over WP as well as a home final.
The shot was from more than 50m out near the right-hand touchline, possibly the most difficult kick for a right-footed player. But the Springbok flyhalf, who bagged all of the Bulls’ 21 points, struck it as true as the penalty that clinched the British & Irish Lions series earlier this year.
The earlier defeats for the WP U19 and U21 teams were overshadowed by the Cheetahs’ victory in Durban. The upset meant a win over the Bulls would see Province hosting the Currie Cup final for the first time since 2001.
The significance of the Kings Park result wasn’t lost on the Newlands faithful as they cheered the stadium big screen. By kick off, there was a fair amount of powder blue amongst the crowd, but the blue and white hoops were in the majority, a fact that was confirmed through their collective clamour.
The home side received another boost when Bulls lock Bakkies Botha was sent to the sin bin in the first minute for foul play. Everything seemed to be in WP’s favour, but in a nervy opening quarter they only succeeded in spurning every advantage.
First Joe Pietersen missed the ensuing penalty kick for touch, the first of several poor kicks by Province. The Bulls were typically dominant in this respect, and at times, Steyn seemed to have the ball on a string. He goaled four penalties in the first half without much fuss, but his tactical kicking put the visitors into some promising positions.
The Bulls’ defence placed WP under massive pressure, forcing the home side into errors and transgressions at the breakdown. The Province scrum also failed to dominate, but fortunately the Bulls lineout blew hot and cold – Victor Matfield stealing several WP feeds but Derick Kuun’s wayward throwing handing them back possession.
The Bulls scored six points in Botha’s absence and seemed to grow in confidence as the half progressed. The WP defence weren’t having it, however, and some determined tackling on their own line and timely steals on the ground robbed the Bulls of two try-scoring opportunities.
The WP backline battled to gel with flyhalf Peter Grant and inside centre Paul Bosch failing as a combination. After a superb build-up in the dying seconds where the WP forwards hammered the Bulls back, Bosch tried to step his man instead of using the overlap. Pietersen did goal the subsequent penalty, but that seven points would have seen the hosts trailing by a mere 12-10 at the break.
WP withstood a mass onslaught early in the second period, but their gallantry was aided by the Bulls’ lack of precision. The Pretoria side were far from accurate at ruck time, and although they enjoyed territorial dominance up to this point, the secondary kickers handed WP too many easy marks.
The hosts took heart from this showing, and the next time they were in the Bulls’ half, they walked away with the points. Hooker Tiaan Liebenberg, who had broken tackles all evening, gave them the initial go-forward before the Bulls conceded a penalty that Pietersen duly slotted.
A lineout win by replacement Schalk Burger in the 58th minute set the platform for a wide strike, Frikkie Welsh kicking ahead before being smashed by the cover defence. The Bulls chased the rolling ball but the diminutive form of Gio Aplon beat everyone to score a momentum-shifting try. Pietersen kicked a fantastic conversion, and with 20 minutes to play, WP had the lead.
Steyn kicked another penalty to edge the Bulls in front, and the visitors looked to open it up when in possession. Fourie du Preez received an untimely pass before being absolutely obliterated by Burger, a hit that brought the 48 000-strong crowd to its feet. The Springbok flanker received a series of backslaps and high fives before raising his arms to the spectators as if to say, ‘This game is ours’.
The belief translated into momentum and with 13 minutes remaining, Pietersen sank an important penalty. Steyn attempted a drop-goal moments later that went horribly wide, and it appeared WP would finish this game as they started – with good fortune.
Pulses raced and the crowds cheers turned to shrieks as the the drama intensified. You got the sense that if this game was at Loftus Versfeld, the locals would’ve been willing their side to victory just as the Capetonians were lending their team radical support.
The deciding moment arrived when replacement winger Sireli Naqelevuki was penalised for a coat-hanger of a tackle. Steyn pointed to the posts and the noise dissipated. Those that had sensed a upset WP victory now sensed a less favourable yet predictable result with Steyn lining up the kick.
The win means the Bulls will host the Cheetahs in the 31 October final. Free State did well to beat the Sharks in Durban, but should be no match for this star-studded Bulls outfit.
By Jon Cardinelli
401 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] Show All
19 Oct 2009, 12:28 pm
watson to captain boks ?
if you look at the huddles, vermeulen or bekker or burger were doing all the talking, while watson was still and silent. and would you like him to captain boks ? he’s not even a good eightman !
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.