Vodacom Blue Bulls edge out Cheetahs
If pre-season games are there for players to make an impression, then the Vodacom Bulls selectors need look no further than their off-season acquisition of Kenyan Daniel Adongo.
The man-mountain who is rumoured to give captain Pierre Spies a go in the gym, made the most of the hit-out on the Loftus B field as the Bulls B-side won a highly entertaining match against their Cheetahs counterparts 33-29, writes Brenden Nel of SuperSport.com.
Adongo, who stands 1.93m tall and weighs in at 112kg, was the star of the show on a balmy Pretoria afternoon, helping himself to three tries in the process and announcing h is arrival at Loftus.
Before coming here, the transfer was said to be one that the Sharks fought to stop. After seeing him play, one can understand why. The Kenyan utility forward, who plays equally well at both loose forward and lock, was everywhere, and put in a sparkling performance that the coaching staff will be more than happy with.
But if Adongo stole the headlines, there were plenty else to put smiles on faces as both sides showed some deft touches for this part of the season that will have given both Frans Ludeke and Naka Drotske hope for the season ahead.
To be honest, if this was about the result, the Cheetahs would have sneaked this one. Two penalties in the last five minutes were turned down to be kicked to the sideline, both well within Riaan Smit’s kicking distance.
Either way, both sides excelled in their open style of play, holding little back and while there were a number of mistakes, it can be expected this time of year.
After an early missed penalty by Lionel Cronje, the Cheetahs took the lead through one of their own by Sias Ebersohn.
It wasn’t long though before the Bulls hit back. Jean Cook, the blond stolen from Bloemfontein, burst through for a powerhouse try to put his side on the board.
The see saw nature of the match was signified when Lourens Adriaanse retook the lead for the visitors, before a blistering break by winger Sampie Mastriet split the defence, leaving Adongo to take the final pass and fall over for his first try.
The Cheetahs were rewarded after a number of phases by prop Marcel van der Merwe, who went over from close range to put them 17-12 ahead at the break.
But in the second half it was the Bulls who took their opportunities better to clinch the game, and Adongo started off the half well, crashing over from close range for his second.
A great sideline conversion by Cronje retook the lead for the home side, before the Cheetahs found a perfect hole in the defence and Phillip Burger put Barry Geel away a quick strike back.
At 24-19, the Cheetahs looked ominous, but it was that man Adongo again who popped up in the right place at the right time, grabbing the ball at the base of the ruck and crashing over to retake the lead.
Mastriet put his name on the scoreboard shortly afterwards, taking a perfect blindside pass from Ruan Snyman to swoop in from 50 metres and give the Bulls some breathing space.
Dusty Noble – who recovered from a horrible knee injury last season, was determined to make his mark, and grabbed the last try in this nine-try festival, leaving both teams satisfied with their efforts, even if the result m attered less.
For the Bulls, Adongo, Cook, midfielder Ulrich Beyers and Cronje stood out, while Snyman, lock Cornell Hess and Mastriet will all leave the field smiling.
The Cheetahs will be happy with the form of both Riaan Smit and Sias Ebersohn, while Lourens Adriaanse, Phillip van der Walt and Noble all looked class.
Scorers
Vodacom Blue Bulls – tries: Daniel Adongo (3), Sampie Mastriet, Jean Cook.
Con – Lionel Cronje (4).
Cheetahs – tries: Lourens Adriaanse, Marcel van der Merwe, Barry Geel, Dusty Noble.
Cons – Sias Ebersohn (2), Riaan Smit.
Pen: Ebersohn.
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