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).
@carol – Welsh is out, the words are too long & unpronouncable 🙂
@carol – Send of a photo of the blond on the tractor!!!
@carol – I will be checking the BBC & Telegraph sites for news of major accidents with tractors & blonde drivers being arrested 🙂
@Boerboel – You can find said photo on local police bulletin boards 🙂
@JimT – 😆
@Boerboel – Your wish is my command!! Hahahaha
@JimT – Oy, I’ll have you know I am pretty useful and can reverse trailers with consumate ease!!
@carol – What is it that you harvest?
@Boerboel – We are on Spring Barley at the moment for malting (Beer and whisky) next crop is winter wheat, for animal feed!
@carol – All part of a rogues gallery. Can’t remember now but do Scotland Yard have a 10 most wanted list like the FBI in the US? If so you must figure in the list somewhere – dangerous tractor and/or horse driving 🙂
@carol – Anyone can reverse trailers. It’s a question of whether you hit anyone or not 🙂
@carol – I once worked on the harvest when at school. Lots of fun, making haystacks. Sometimes in the cool of the evening too. Ah those were the carefree days. Pay wasn’t much though, so I soon gravitated to construction work, digging holes, etc. Much better pay.
@carol – Thanks, it is lovely, looks like you enjoy it!
@JimT – Jim, we are not it it for the money that’s for sure!! 🙂
@Boerboel – It is a good way of life….
Did you see the Kiwi bashing on Voldy yesterday? Grant was getting quite heated!!
@carol – What is Voldy? Is it KEO? Sounds like Grant. I would have hoped he had recovered from that affliction after beating the ABs twice in a row. 🙁
Good lord, have just been reading about the revelations from William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies. Who would have thought. He’s lucky he’s dead. 🙁
@carol – No, didn’t spend much time on the sites yesterday.
I suspect Grant was defending their honour. He doesn’t resort to mudslinging.
@JimT – Yep our chums her refer to ‘the other place’ as Voldy’s – like honour amongst thieves you do not mention other blogs or something like that, Boerboel will explain!! 🙂
Go on spill the beans on William Golding is it ‘juicy’? I have not stuck my nose inside the Sundays yet!
Lord of the Rings a difficult read, but an essential work of our time.
@bul-a-bhloo – Ahh, Kiwis are Grants achiles heel, long story but my favourite peacemaker does get wound up by Kiwis!!
Actually very funny……I miss a good scrap!
@bul-a-bhloo – No thats Tolkien! I never finnished it to be honest!!
@carol – Lady C, bound to develop here as soon as the honeymoon is over.
Nothing wrong with a good scrap as long as it doesn’t degenerate as it did. Moderator should be impartial and fair then all is well.
Ah so I see. Mistaking Rings for Flies. No weaselling out of that one, for sure….
I talk to the trees,
But they don’t listen to me…..tra-la-la!
Time for bed.
Bye.
@carol – Well two things stuck out: 1) as a school teacher he would deliberately set two gangs of boys against one another & observe the results (which accounts for his Lord of the Flies) 2) he attempted to rape a 15 year old girl when he was 18. Two years later they consummated the relationship. Again he’s lucky that he’s dead. Evidently there is a new biography coming out based upon his unpublished writings some of which were designed to explain to his wife why he was a “monster”. A little weird 🙁
@carol – No Lord of the Flies is Golding.
oops sorry I misread his comment. You are right of course. 🙁
Good night all i will return after the midnight hour, or maybe not. Eyes are tired.
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