The Vodacom Bulls claimed their second and a back to back victory over the Emirates Lions during week 7 of the URC and therefore their second victory in the "Jukskei Derby" by beating the Lions 21-13.
The first half was a half with two parts - the Lions played most of the rugby in the first part feeding off the unnecessary errors committed by the Bulls who struggled to get their momentum and rhythm going. The Lions were rewarded for their efforts with two successful penalty kicks.
The second part saw the Bulls playing better rugby and getting forward momentum going with strong forward running play, as well as playing the ball wide to the speedsters on the wings. They scored two tries with their forwards every time they managed to play into the Lions' quarter. The half time score was 14-6 in favour of the Bulls.
The second half saw the Bulls building their forward momentum play and their score. The Bulls played most of the rugby with good attacking forward play which resulted in another try. The Lions on the other hand spent a lot of time defending in their half. They did manage to create one or two scoring opportunities but could not convert them into points except for a try in the last 9 minutes of the half. The tempo of the match decreased in the second half resulting in a lot of stop-start rugby.
01:42 Penalty awarded to the Lions in the Bulls half for Bulls player holding onto the ball after a tackle was made. Successfully kicked by Tiaan Swanepoel (3-0).
06:40 Penalty awarded to the Lions in the Bulls half for illegally pulling down a ruck. Successfully kicked by Tiaan Swanepoel (6-0).
20:00 The first 20 minutes saw the Lions playing most of the rugby and scoring points from errors committed by the Bulls who also struggled in the scrums. The Bulls managed to set up a few good attacking opportunities in the Lions' quarter however the ball was turned over every time through errors committed by the Bulls. The Bulls struggled to get their rhythm and momentum going. The Lions forced the Bulls to play rugby in their half most of the time.
24:50 Bulls flanker Marcell Coetzee crashes over the try line for a try after driving forward play on the Lions' try line. Successfully converted by Morné Steyn (6-7).
38:22 Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar scored the Bulls' second try after a driving maul in the Lions' quarter. Converted by Morné Steyn (6-14).
40:00 The Bulls managed to get some forward momentum going with strong forward running play, as well as playing the ball wide to the speedsters on the wings. They were rewarded with two tries for their efforts which were both scored every time they managed to play into the Lions' quarter. The Lions in turn lost one or two scoring opportunities by turning over the ball on the attack in the Bulls' quarter.
48:09 Bulls full back Kurt-Lee Arendse scores a try after the ball was played wide from attacking phase play in the Lions' quarter. Converted by Morné Steyn (6-21).
60:00 The Bulls kept on building their forward momentum play and their score with another try. Clever tactical kicking by the Bulls resulted in the Lions having to do a lot of defending in their half for most of the time. They did manage to create two good scoring opportunities in the Bulls' half but could not convert them into points except for a try in the last 9 minutes of the match.
71:45 Lions lock Ruben Schoeman scores a try after driving over the try line from a ruck. Converted by Tiaan Swanepoel (13-21).
Scorers:
Emirates Lion: Tries: Ruben Schoeman. Conversions: Tiaan Swanepoel. Penalties: Tiaan Swanepoel (2).
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Johan Grobbelaar, Kurt-Lee Arendse. Conversions: Morné Steyn (3).
Teams:
Emirates Lions: 15. Divan Rossouw, 14. Stean Pienaar, 13. Manuel Rass, 12. Matt More, 11. Edwill van der Merwe, 10. Tiaan Swanepoel, 9. Andre Warner, 8. Francke Horn, 7. PJ Steenkamp, 6. Jaco Kriel (c), 5. Ruben Schoeman, 4. Ruhan Straeuli, 3. Carlu Sadie, 2. Pieter Botha, 1. Sithembiso Sithole. Replacements: 16. Morne Brandon, 17. Morgan Naude, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Ruan Venter, 20. Sibusiso Sangweni, 21. Morne van den Berg, 22. EW Viljoen, 23. Quan Horn.
Vodacom Bulls: 15. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14. Canan Moodie, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Madosh Tambwe, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Zak Burger, 8. Elrigh Louw, 7. Arno Botha, 6. Marcell Coetzee (c), 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Walt Steenkamp, 3. Jacques van Rooyen, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Simphiwe Matanzima. Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Lizo Gqoboka, 18. Robert Hunt, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Muller Uys, 21. Embrose Papier, 22. Chris Smith, 23. Cornal Hendricks
Article by Francois du Toit