The Bulls had a great start to their tour but it all came crashing down in week 2 against the Crusaders – will they be able to beat a desperate Reds side at home also coming off a loss?
Teams:
Reds: 15 Jono Lance, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Ed O’Donoghue, 3 James Slipper, 2 James Hanson, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Curtis Browning, 20 Nigel Ah Wong, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Mike Harris.
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Louis Fouché, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Morné Mellet.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Juandré Kruger, 19 Jacques Potgieter, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Jan Serfontein.
Referee: James Leckie (Australia)
Assistant referees: Andrew Lees (Australia), Damien Mitchelmore (Australia)
TMO: Steve Leszczynski (Australia)
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JT_BOKBEFOK!
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March 23rd, 2013 at 10:37 am
Now for the big one! A win here could make the Bulls season
Moer hulle!
March 23rd, 2013 at 10:46 am
Nice hit on Ioane by Pottie!
March 23rd, 2013 at 10:55 am
Was about to compliment the ref then he goes and gives the Reds a yc for a bs decision
Bloody refs spoiling a good game!
March 23rd, 2013 at 10:56 am
Got the Bulls for a win.
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:03 am
Reply to Methos The French Stormer @ 10:56 am:
This is one of those games that was hard to call because of the inconsistency of the teams involved
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:03 am
I went for a hedge bet, bet on Reds and hope i am wrong
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:06 am
Score?
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:08 am
Reply to Jacques(Bunny)Die wat nie hier is nie is elders!! @ 11:06 am:
3-6 Bulls
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:12 am
Predicted 51-17 for the Kings game. Ended 55-20 Sooooo close. Dammit.
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:20 am
Reds try!
Reds 13 – 6 Bulls
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:24 am
Bulls missing 1st time tackles
Hope they come out 2nd half with more purpose!
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:33 am
Predicta-bull crap! Kick, crash or maul – fokol else.
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:33 am
Big difference in Bulls and Kings games – energy to get up, get back and help each other in defense. Bulls players look tired already, season only just started?
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:36 am
I predicted a Reds win 29-23 but tbh i can’t see Bulls getting 23 points
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:37 am
Hope they wake up in 2nd half!
Can the real Bulls please stand-up!?
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:50 am
Same bs decision for a yc – this time bulls suffer
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:50 am
That is complete Bullshit. The bloody reds player is attempting to jump over the No14 and gets tackled and gets yellow carded!!!!!!
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:53 am
This is how you play after the opposition gets a red card in their own halve – try! What did boring Bulls do in same position? Kicked for goal!!!!!? Classic Hak Hak k@k.
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:53 am
Reply to Methos The French Stormer @ 11:50 am:
Imo both yc decisions were bs!
Btw – try Reds!
Reds 20 – 15 Bulls
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:55 am
Reply to Bekke @ 11:53 am:
Get your colours right boet! Was a yellow card
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:55 am
JT
For me the first one was correct. Unintentionel maybe but still yellow. 2′nd was just plain kak.
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:55 am
Yay, Morne is on. Expect a lot of running rugby now…
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:56 am
Looks like the Bulls that played the Blues a few weeks ago has disappeared for good
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:57 am
Reply to Methos The French Stormer @ 11:55 am:
Ja boet, take those saffer glasses off
March 23rd, 2013 at 11:58 am
That ref could still get that YC wrong, after watching big screen AND referral, clearly show their intend. Japies being screwed again, but with such boring rugby we realy do not deserve better.
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:00 pm
I agree with Methos – no way in hell second was even warranting a penalty.
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Bekke
In fact I think the front rower did it intentionally to milk the Yellow. Now that the refs are so stringent on tip tackles it is easy to jump onto a guys shoulder and control your fall. Boooom – insta yellow card! Almost like the diving in soccer.
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Good work by Spies on Ioane!
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Brilliant if JJ is in!!!!
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Damn JJ is out – no try
Reds 23 – 18 Bulls FT
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Nope, cannot expect the Bulls to suddenly wake up and pass the ball after 80 minutes. Poor coaching, worse captaining, bull execution
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Bulls did not play well but could still have won that! At least a BP
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Fair result. In fact the Bulls don’t
even deserve the BP.
Tryless in OZ first time sine 1999 –
says it all.
Let’s hope Heyneke starts looking
elsewhere for attacking talent -
but for JJ Engelbrecht.
March 23rd, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Agree on second YC – guy was jumping,
milking for a YC.
The way it is done Down Under.
They should fuck the sheep and turn
to cows.
March 23rd, 2013 at 3:02 pm
I cannot help to think that the Bulls would have won this game if they played with their best team. Morne, Kruger an Botha to name a few would have made a massive difference. The way the Brumbies are playing at the moment, next week will be much more difficult than against the out of form Reds. I also wonder if Pollard shouldn’t be Morne’s backup, he is young but Fouche will never be good enough to keep him out.
Serfontein also needs to start in place of JJ who is a good wing, but not even close to being a top centre. The experiment with him at 13 failed, it is time to move on imo.
March 24th, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Dammittt!!! And it is not getting easier next week….Bulls need a Massive wake up call change in strategy something …of hulle gatte gaan geskop word volgende week – The Brumbies will not be easy!!! At all!!!
March 24th, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Die Bulletin is siek.
Hoekom?
Vie hoe lank?
March 24th, 2013 at 7:54 pm
Die Bulle is siek
Hoekom?
March 24th, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Reply to Duiwel @ 7:54 pm:
Goeie vraag. Verlang seker huis toe.
Hulle het eers in die laaste paar minute
probeer om hul vingers uit hul holle te trek.
March 25th, 2013 at 12:39 am
Bummer.
but I recon’ 5 points from this very difficult tour is not too bad.
what ever they get next week is bonus.
March 25th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Reply to Timeo @ 12:39 am:
Difficult tour?
They MADE it difficult, playing the way they did.
And they still have the Brumbies left.
Die Burger’s reporter puts a lot of the
blame on the referee.
March 25th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
Reply to Boertjie @ 12:51 pm:
Difficult because of the quality of the opponents. Before the tour, there were doubts that they would win any game. The flip side is, that they’ll get easier opponents at Loftus. Hence my calculation that 5 points from the tour is okay.
Right now they have 14 points.
8 Points from byes make 22.
18 points from the 4 games against the Kings and Cheetahs and 14 points from the Loftus games against the Waratahs, Highlanders and Hurricanes make 54.
Then they’ll just need 5 points from the 1 home, and 2 away games against the Sharks and the Stormers for a spot in the play-offs.
Beat the Brumbies (or the Sharks or the Stormers in Durban and Cape Town) and they are sitting pretty for the Semis.
March 25th, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Reply to Timeo @ 1:59 pm:
If you consider the team selections for the Reds game and how lethargic they were against the Crusaders, then it’s a fair guess that Ludeke made the same calculations as I and came up with the same number.
March 25th, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Reply to Timeo @ 2:03 pm:
For the sake of SA rugby I hope you’re right.
Or maybe for the sake of SA rugby a team with
such limited variation and poor application
will be sending out the wrong message?
The Bulls in top gear is something to behold.
On Saturday they were just downright disgusting -
without even comparing their displays with those
of the Sharks, Cheetahs, Stormers and even Kings.
March 25th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
I couldn’t watch the game so I’ll say nothing on that, but the Bulls have long shown a willingness to “concede” games in order to better “manage” their campaign and their players.
I can’t imagine them making a quixotic run for the title from 6th place, like the Sharks did last year. It was really stupid, from a Sharks and a Bok point of view.