Staff Reporter.
@GalloImages.
Veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn produced a vintage performance worthy of higher honours as Vodacom Bulls laid down a marker as South Africa’s top side with a comprehensive 43-9 win over the Cell C Sharks in the Rainbow Cup SA at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Steyn kicked 19 points with the boot but it was his tactical nous that reminded Bulls fans of the 2009 vintage Steyn that dominated both South African and world rugby at the time.
Bulls coach Jake White’s unbeaten run at Loftus continued and the result showed how difficult his side will be to beat at their home fortress. The win was all the more satisfying with the bonus point they achieved late in the game.
This top-of-the-table clash was touted as the matchup of the weekend, but failed to live up to expectations – at least in terms of attacking play. Defensively, both teams were rather good.
In a static first half, the sides were locked at six apiece as the match approached the opening 30 minutes, but Steyn struck a double blow with two quick penalties to put the hosts up by six. However, that advantage was reduced in half when Curwin Bosch succeeded with his third attempt off the tee.
Apart from the goalkicking exchanges, the Bulls had the upper hand in the scrums in the first half, with Sharks front-rower Ox Nche scrummed into the ground in the first half.
The early stages of the second half was a repeat of the first, with neither team seemingly able to win outright ascendancy. But as the match progressed, the Bulls wrestled all the momentum and, as the pressure mounted, the Sharks’ resistance crumbled. Ultimately, the home side ran in four second-half tries to seal a bonus-point win.
The result had the Sharks slumpin to their maiden defeat of the campaign, while the Bulls are now the only unbeaten side remaining in the competition.
Meanwhile the DHL Stormers looked dead and buried with four minutes to go but fought back with a try and then a last-gasp penalty from flyhalf Tim Swiel to score a 39-37 win over the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg that reverses their recent trend of narrow defeats in PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA.