The Reds have made their annual trip to South Africa and the first team on their list is the high flying Bulls. The Bulls need a win to maintain their top three spot while the Reds win would keep them off the bottom of the table. The Bulls have rested key players for this game. Can the Reds respond to this insult or will their horror season continue?
The Match
The first ten minutes of the match was of a very high quality. But the bulls managed to score ten points through a fairly technical blocking penalty against Karmichael Hunt and a well works long distance try after a Karmichael Hunt grubber kick was blocked. Jesse Kriel picked up the loose ball and set off down field, Nick Frisby did well to run back and force Kriel to pass but Francois Hougaard was in a perfect supporting position and dragged Frisby the last five metres to score to the left of the posts. An unfortunate turn around for the Reds as the grubber, if regathered, would have left them in a strong position to score.
Fifteen minutes in the Reds opened their account with a very nice try thanks to the brilliance of Nick Frisby in broken play. Chris Feauai-Sautia fielded a box kick from the Bulls by tapping it back initially but cleaning it up and forming a quick ruck. Genia fired the ball to the right where frisby chipped over the defence. Frisby regathered and almost in the same movement fired a pass to the right to Lachie Turner who ran 30 metres to score 15 metres in from the right touchline.
The Bulls scored straight back. The try could be directly attributed to what can only be described as terrible kicking by the Reds in the first quarter of the game. It is hard to remember one kick that has found open territory. This kick found Kriel in the centre of the park who ran back and put up the high ball with two chasers. Lachie Turner spilled the ball and Pierre Spies swooped on the loose ball to score under the posts.
Half an hour in and the Reds had lost a bit of their shape. Slow ball was killing their attack. After a long period in attack where the Reds lost ground Francois Hougaard stripped the ball from James Slipper in a ruck and sprinted 65 metres. After the conversion the Bulls lead 24-5 and the Reds were looking shaky. There was no change in score at half time. The Reds spent five minutes inside the Bulls half but the Bulls defence never looked like cracking.
The Reds started the second half a lot better than they had ended the first. They started by regathering their kick off but they managed to maintain a presence in the Bulls half for five minutes. From a scrum 15 metres from the Bulls line Thomson picked up and passed to Will Genia who managed to slip attempted tackles from Stegman and Potgieter and then drag Odendaal over the line to score under the posts.
The Reds recovery continued two minutes later when Hunt put Samu Kerevi through a hole 30 metres out. He passed to the ever present Liam Gill. He was tackled five metres from the line but the Reds managed lightning quick ball from the ruck which Genia ran to the blind. Spotting the Bulls winger rushing up for the intercept he dabbed a grubber kick into the space left behind and Frisby dropped on the ball to score. Turner missed the conversion but the Reds had kept themselves in the game with two quick scores.
From the kick off Genia turned from hero to villain by missing the touch finder. The Bulls camp in the Reds 22 and four minutes later score through a ruck formed off a lineout deep in Reds territory. While there was a hint of promoting the ball in a tackle Marcel van der Merwe try was awarded and the Bulls stretched their lead to 29-17. The Reds lost Adrian Thomson to the bin in the process.
Ben Tapuai replaced Anthony Fainga’a with immediate effect. He ran to the line and popped a pass to Samu Kerevi who cut a swathe through the Bulls secondary defences to be pulled up a metre from the line after an amazing 50 metre run. Marco Kotze, who had also run 50 metres, pounce on the well presented ball to dive over the line to score. Both teams had now score four tries with 25 minutes to go.
But the tryfest wasn’t over. From the kick off the Reds kicked out 30 metres out. The Bulls ran a set move that ran inside centre Burger Odendaal through the defence he stepped past Hunt at fullback to score and with the conversion by Tian Schoeman the bulls once again looked comfortable at 36-22
Piet van Zyl was the next to score after sustained pressure from the bull in a movement that carried them 70 metres up the field. The conversion was successful and the Reds looked out of it at 43-22 with ten minutes to go.
43-22 was the final score. The Reds competed well in most areas but crucially kicking and chasing let them down and the occasional defensive lapse. Did nthey take a step forward in this match? It’s hard to say. They did score four tries but let in 43 points. The Bulls looked like a well coached side with talent accross the field and were deserving winners but they didn’t look like finalist. But no other team I watched this weekend looked like finalists either.
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The Game Changer
The Reds looked under pressure from the start so there was no real game changer. But their kicking from hand rarely, if ever, worked in their favour. In fact it cost them points and field position on many occasions.
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The G&GR MOTM
Jesse Kriel was the official man of the match and he wins our award as well he was solid in defence, safe under the high ball, positioned himself well and was dangerous in attack.
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Wallaby watch
Will Genia took another step towards his top form. Liam Gill was outstanding as always and in another time would be Australia’s premier openside flanker. Rob Simmons had a solid return after a long term injury.
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The Details
Crowd:
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]Bulls: 36
Tries: Francois Hougaard 2, Pierre Spies, Marcel van der Merwe, Burger Odendaal
Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter 3/3 Tian Schoeman 1/2
Penalties: Jacques-Louis Potgieter 1/1[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]Reds: 22
Tries: Lachie Turner, Will Genia, Nick Frisby, Marco Kotze
Conversions: Lachie Turner 1/4
Penalties: [/one_half]
Cards & citings
Adrian Thompson yellow
