The Carling Currie Cup came to a thrilling conclusion in Pretoria on Saturday when the Vodacom Bulls faced the Cell C Sharks in what was expected to be a hard-fought and tight test match style battle. However the Vodacom Bulls who were the favourites for the match, were just too good for the Sharks in all aspects and convincingly beat them 44-10.
The Sharks, who were the underdogs for the match, started the match with a bang and launched repeated attacks from within the Bulls' half running the ball wide to both ends of the field trying to stretch the Bulls' defence. The Sharks kept up these attacks for most of the first half however the Bulls' defence was rock-solid and ensured turnover ball at critical times which prevented the Sharks from scoring.
The Bulls in turn hit back after every Shark attacking attempt with clever tactical kicking, as well as hard running rugby upfront and at the back, which forced gaps in the Sharks' defence and led to try-scoring opportunities. There was a definite momentum shift in the Bulls' favour early in the second half when they in turn started playing their own attacking rugby in the Sharks' half. The Sharks defence struggled to hold up and resulted in the Bulls staying comfortably ahead on the scoreboard for the whole duration of the match.
03:54 Bulls centre Harold Vorster opened the Bulls' scoring tally with a try after a brilliant backline break within the Sharks' half. Conversion missed by Chris Smith (5-0).
20:00 The first 20 minutes of the match saw the Sharks with possession and territorial advantage running the ball wide to both ends of the field, however, they struggled to get over the advantage line due to very solid defence by the Bulls which ensured turnover ball at critical times and prevented scoring opportunities for the Sharks. The Bulls in turn found gaps in the Sharks' defence to score.
22:38 Lionel Mapoe scored the Bulls' second try after the Bulls played the ball wide from a lineout and beat the Sharks' backline defence. Converted by Chris Smith (12-0).
30:32 Penalty awarded to the Sharks in the Bulls' quarter after offside play by the Bulls. Successfully kicked by the Curwin Bosch (12-3).
33:57 Marcell Coetzee burst over the Sharks try line after a tap penalty 5 metres from the Sharks' try line. Converted by Chris Smith (19-3).
40:00 The Sharks spent most of the last 20 minutes of the half attacking from within the Bulls' half however, they only managed to get 3 points on the scoreboard due to the continued rock-solid defence by the Bulls, who exploited the poor Sharks' defence and scored more tries.
40:44 Penalty awarded to the Bulls in the Sharks' half after a Sharks player did not roll away at a ruck. Successfully kicked by Chris Smith (22-3).
48:10 Bulls lock Janko Swanepoel scored a try after fast attacking rugby by the Bulls in the Sharks' half from an up and under kick by the Bulls. Converted by Chris Smith (29-3).
55:46 Zak Burger scored a try under the posts after a clever break from a ruck in the Sharks' quarter. Converted by Chris Smith (36-3).
60:00 There was a definite momentum shift early in the second half in favour of the Bulls who started playing their own attacking rugby and kept the Sharks pinned in their half. The Sharks defence could not hold up at times and this resulted in more tries points for the Bulls.
65:40 Sharks prop Thomas du Toit scored the Sharks' first try of the match after crashing over the try line from broken play in the Bulls' quarter. Converted by Curwin Bosch (36-10).
68:50 Penalty awarded to the Bulls in the Sharks' half for illegal play by a Sharks player at the breakdown. Successfully kicked by Chris Smith (39-10).
78:10 Lionel Mapoe scored the Bulls last try of the match after kicking through a loose ball and scoring close to the corner. Conversion missed by Chris Smith (44-10).
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Harold Vorster, Lionel Mapoe, Marcell Coetzee, Janko Swanepoel, Zak Burger, Lionel Mapoe. Conversions: Chris Smith (4). Penalties: Chris Smith (2).
Cell C Sharks: Tries: Thomas du Toit. Conversions: Curwin Bosch. Penalties: Curwin Bosch.
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls: 15. David Krie, 14. Cornal Hendricks, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Madosh Tambwe, 10. Chris Smith, 9. Zak Burger, 8. Elrigh Louw, 7. Arno Botha, 6. Marcell Coetzee (c), 5. Ruan Nortje, 4. Janko Swanepoel, 3. Mornay Smith, 2. Joe van Zyl, 1. Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Jacques van Rooyen, 19. Jacques du Plessis, 20. WJ Steenkamp, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Ruan Combrinck / David Coetzer, 23. Stravino Jacobs, 24. Reinhardt Ludwig, 25. Jaco Labuschagne, 26. Marco Jansen van Vuren, 27. David Coetzer, 28. Stedman Gans, 29. Schalk Erasmus.
Cell C Sharks: 15. Curwin Bosch, 14. Yaw Penxe, 13. Werner Kok, 12. Jeremy Ward, 11. Thaakir Abrahams, 10. Lionel Cronje, 9. Sanele Nohamba, 8. Phepsi Buthelezi (c), 7. Henco Venter, 6. Dylan Richardson, 5. Gerbrandt Grobler, 4. Le Roux Roets, 3. Thomas du Toit, 2. Kerron van Vuuren, 1. Khwezi Mona. Replacements: 16. Dan Jooste, 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18. Khutha Mchunu, 19. Thembelani Bholi, 20. Reniel Hugo, 21. Lucky Dlepu* (debut), 22. , 23. Anthony Volmink.
Article by Francois du Toit