The Vodacom Blue Bulls scored four tries in their 25-24 victory over the Griquas in a packed GWK Stadium in Kimberley on Saturday.
In the opening minutes it was clear that both teams are going to have a full go at one another and although neither managed to score a try in the first ten minutes the Griquas were the first to get on the score sheet when Naas Olivier landed a penalty in the 7th minute.
It was good to see that the Blue Bulls were scrumming a tad better than against the Cheetahs and with Wilhelm Steenkamp and Flip van der Merwe spoiling a couple of the Griquas’ lineouts the team from Pretoria had most of the initiative in the first quarter.
The Bulls continued to put a lot of pressure on the Griquas and in the 16th minute captain Derick Kuün went over for the Bulls’ first try thanks to some good mauling by the forwards.
Francois Brummer missed the conversion and with Olivier slotting his second penalty in the 19th minute Dawie Theron’s team were leading 6-5, but it has to be said that the majority of the first quarter was played in Griquas’ half.
With Brummer and Olivier adding a penalty each the Griquas were back in the lead and in the 33rd minute Egon Seconds extended this lead when he scored the home team’s first try of the match after following up Jonathan Mokuena’ cross kick.
Olivier missed the conversion but the Bulls were right back in the game thanks to a terrific try from Francois Hougaard but unfortunately Brummer missed the conversion and that meant the Griquas were leading 14-13 at the break.
The Bulls had ample possession in the first 40 minutes and the vast majority of the match was played in Griquas’ half but in spite of this Theron’s men were outstanding on the ground and it had the result that the Bulls, who were quite heavily penalised, could not generate the momentum that they wanted to.
Shortly after half time the Griquas’ reserve hooker Rayno Barnes went over for their second try when Hougaard’s kick was charged down and with Brummer missing his third attempt in the 48th minute coach Frans Ludeke decided to send on Burton Francis.
With more than 30 minutes to play Ludeke also used Pedrie Wannenburg and Zane Kirchner as impact players but in spite of the reinforcements the Bulls’ lineout and scrum work weren’t as effective as in the first 40 minutes.
With 20 minutes to play and the Griquas leading 19-13, Springbok Chiliboy Ralepelle and the young talented Frik Kirsten were unleashed but the team from Kimberley continued their rampant form when left wing Trompie Nontshinga extended their lead to 24-13.
Luckily the Bulls got themselves right back into the game via a Gerhard van den Heever try and after this they were playing with a renewed kind of vigour as well as a lot of energy.
The Blue Bulls knew a converted try would take them into the lead and when Rohan Kitshoff as well as Mokuena got yellow cards in the last five minutes Wannenburg bulldozed over to score the Bulls’ bonus point try.
Francis converted and that meant the Bulls pulled off a very dramatic, but highly entertaining away victory.
Scorers:
Vodacom Blue Bulls: Tries: Derick Kuün, Francois Hougaard, Gerhard van den Heever, Pedrie Wannenburg. Conversions: Burton Francis (1). Penalties: Brummer (1).
GWK Griquas: Tries: Egon Seconds, Rayno Barnes, Trompie Nontshinga. Penalties: Olivier (3).
@bul-a-bhloo – A laptop. I solved my problem & sent GBS a test message.
@JimT – Hey Jimmy just you and me…two Brits, howz about that!! I think they have all gone off to bed! 😉
@carol – I think so. Although I got a message from bul-a-bhloo. You up late? I guess not it’s probably about 7.40 pm, right?
@carol – No, one of us need to watch, you Brits will break the place down!;-)
@JimT – At the forefront of computer skills I tried to send the webmasters a mail and my prompt read
“Could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed”
Heavens alone knows what that can possibly mean!!
Carol, helped out GBS with a little testing of his webmaster link. I guess I’ve been online today for quite a bit, hopping on & off other websites, catching up on news, etc. Wot you doing now?
@AB Bullsbok – Ah ha a snooper or maybe a chaperone perhaps? It’s simple we are plotting the Boks downfall for the EOT 🙂
@AB Bullsbok – Hi AB – We Brits like to wade in and take over, a bit like the British Empire!!
We try to do it with charm and efficiency!! 😆
Watching you
@carol – Ha ha I recently reread a book on the first Anglo-Boer war in which it was said “the Crown will rule Transvaal as long as the sun shines” I guess they were right back then!
@JimT – Just before 9pm for our Saffa Chums like it says on the bit next to the date!! Very helpful!
Now waiting for the call to collect the next tractor and trailer! Life in the fast lane !!!! 😐
@carol – Ah yes I just deduced that. With my new PC sometimes when I wanted to email someone an article or something Windows (Vista) would prompt me to load Outlook Express instead of emailing the subject article. I just figured out that I needed to set my default email (which is Windows Mail). No doubt you should too. Go to your email program, check Help & search for fixing your default mail setting & you should be able to fix the problem.
@JimT – You guys will need need a much bigger forum for that sort of planning! 🙂
carol i dont want to touch a sensitive issue but what is the chances that our dream series win can still happen. Hell i enjoyed the first 3 tests against Australia. You guys must please beat them for the ashes.
@AB Bullsbok – 160 Check the fine print of the contract. I think ownership is about to switch back around 2010, lol. 🙂
OK guys and girl, the sun has set soits safe to make a bee line for the bedroom. Cheers and enjoy!
@superBul – Oh, Oh we in trouble, another snooper Carol. Think we better switch to Gaelic to defeat the eavesdroppers 🙂
AB hows things on the farm, did you try that electrified fence suggestion i gave you.
@AB Bullsbok – De La Rey, De La Ray, Del La Ray!!!!
@carol – Can just imagine you charging around the Cotswolds on your tractor. A bloody menace to the local populace 🙂
@AB Bullsbok – Greed for gold caused a lot of of harm in the world. Couple of nights ago there was a very informative program on this issue on Discovery.
@AB Bullsbok – You never know. Come the EOT you will remember you heard it here first 🙂
@JimT – Jim that is technical gobbledegook and I have no idea what you are trying to say!! Default….Urrrrr, I need my own private GBS to do computer things!
My gallic is a tad rusty, how about Welsh!!
England’s four-man selection panel – Geoff Miller, James Whitaker, Ashley Giles and Andy Flower, plus the captain, Andrew Strauss – met for five hours on Friday at Trent Bridge, where both Bell and Trott scored second-innings hundreds to secure a draw for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire. Those performances were enough to convince them that wholesale changes were not required, despite the humiliation of England’s innings-and-80-run defeat in the fourth Test at Headingley, meaning that the prospects of recalls for Mark Ramprakash and Robert Key receded.
Is Andy Flower the ex Zimbabwean?
@superBul – Gawd, are they still playing that awful game? It’s like kids in a car on a long trip. Are we there yet? When does cricket & that never ending series finish? 🙁
@superBul – Well the new “South African Englishman” has been confirmed as the new No4. batsman today and Freddie might just hold out. WE are getting just a tad excited now!
Would be great to get another Ashes win!
@AB Bullsbok – See ya, sleep tight 🙂
@JimT – Jim, I do have my flashing light going when I am hauling 10 tonne trailers down the main road!!
@AB Bullsbok – Goeie nag goeie mens…
@carol – No it’s simple. Bring up your email program. Click on help, do a search on default mail settings & it will advise you how to set your default mail. Easy peasy !
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