Vodacom Bulls clinch action-packed derby at Loftus – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 13 Review
- Chiefs snap DHL Stormers’ home winning streak
- Emirates Lions stumble in their last tour match
The Vodacom Bulls bounced back to winning ways when they emerged as 39-33 winners over the Cell C Sharks in their action-packed Vodacom Super Rugby derby match on Saturday evening in Pretoria. They were also 22-17 in front at halftime.
John Mitchell’s side scored five tries to three to gain their fifth victory of the season, while the successful last minute penalty by visiting fly half Robert du Preez earned the Durban team a valuable league point. The match was a typical, hard-fought and fast-paced derby and the Pretoria outfit did just enough in the end to secure victory and record a double this season over their coastal rivals.
Meanwhile in the mid-afternoon fixture played in Cape Town, the DHL Stormers suffered their first home defeat of the campaign by losing 15-9 to the visiting Chiefs, who led 5-3 lead at the break.
Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown scored the Chiefs’ only try in the first half to celebrate his 50th Vodacom Super Rugby appearance to hand his side the halftime advantage, while the Kiwi team also gained a crucial penalty try midway through the second half to seal the result.
The first match of the day featuring a South African side saw the Emirates Lions succumb 39-27 to the Highlanders in their fourth and last tour match that was played in Dunedin. The visiting Highvelders were 19-14 behind at the end of the first half.
The team from Johannesburg finished the opening half strongly as they scored two tries to bring them within four points of the Highlanders. Both teams played enterprising rugby but it was the Highlanders who finished sturdily for a good win after their return from SA.
The weekend produced several upset results elsewhere, with the Sunwolves claiming their first victory of the season in Tokyo on Saturday morning. They outplayed the Reds to triumph 63-28, with Hayden Parker scoring 38 points for a new individual point tally while the result was also the Sunwolves’ biggest ever win margin of the competition.
In the following match staged in Christchurch the Waratahs quickly raced into an impressive 29-0 lead against the Crusaders. However, the home side then produced a memorable comeback to pip the team from Sydney by 31-29. Meanwhile in the Australian Conference the Brumbies gave up a comfortable 21-5 lead to lose by 27-24 to the Rebels at home in Canberra.
The Emirates Lions are still leading the South African Conference despite their setback in Dunedin and they now return home on 31 points from 12 games. The Vodacom Bulls and the Cell C Sharks both jumped over the inactive Jaguares to second and third place respectively on the table. The teams from Pretoria, Durban and Buenos Aires are all level on 24 points with only point difference separating the three sides.
Vodacom Bulls (22) 39, Cell C Sharks (17) 33
Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Warrick Gelant, Jesse Kriel, Roelof Smit, Johnny Kotze, Lood de Jager; Conversions: Handré Pollard (4); Penalties: Pollard (2).
Cell C Sharks – Tries: Curwin Bosch, Jacques Vermeulen, Jean-Luc du Preez; Conversions: Rob du Preez (3); Penalties: Bosch, Du Preez (3).
DHL Stormers (3) 9, Chiefs (5) 15
DHL Stormers – Penalties: Damian Willemse (2), SP Marais.
Chiefs – Tries: Anton Lienert-Brown, penalty try. Penalty: Damian McKenzie.
Highlanders (19) 39, Emirates Lions (15) 27
Highlanders – Tries: Lima Sopoaga, Liam Coltman, Luke Whitelock, Waisake Naholo, Tei Walden; Conversions: Sopoaga (4); Penalties: Sopoaga (2).
Emirates Lions – Tries: Harold Vorster, Robbie Coetzee (2), Marnus Schoeman; Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2); Penalty: Jantjies.
Other Round 13 results of the weekend:
Friday, 11 May
Blues 15, Hurricanes 36
Saturday, 17 March:
Sunwolves 63, Reds 28
Crusaders 31, Waratahs 29
Brumbies 24, Rebels 27
Bye: Jaguares
The updated Vodacom Super Rugby standings following the weekend’s Round 13 action:
South African Conference
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Emirates Lions | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 389 | 345 | 44 | 58 | 45 | 31 |
| 2 | Vodacom Bulls | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 297 | 296 | 1 | 41 | 37 | 24 |
| 3 | Cell C Sharks | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 329 | 328 | 1 | 39 | 43 | 24 |
| 4 | Jaguares | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 257 | 304 | -47 | 31 | 41 | 24 |
| 5 | DHL Stormers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 303 | 330 | -27 | 36 | 46 | 23 |
New Zealand Conference
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Crusaders | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 353 | 199 | 154 | 53 | 25 | 42 |
| 2 | Hurricanes | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 331 | 179 | 152 | 46 | 21 | 41 |
| 3 | Highlanders | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 290 | 248 | 42 | 38 | 32 | 32 |
| 4 | Chiefs | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 283 | 214 | 69 | 35 | 27 | 31 |
| 5 | Blues | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 264 | 345 | -81 | 34 | 43 | 17 |
Australian Conference
| Pos | Teams | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | PTS |
| 1 | Waratahs | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 298 | 262 | 36 | 37 | 33 | 26 |
| 2 | Rebels | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 294 | 327 | -33 | 40 | 44 | 25 |
| 3 | Reds | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 198 | 304 | -106 | 23 | 41 | 17 |
| 4 | Brumbies | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 207 | 254 | -47 | 28 | 30 | 16 |
| 5 | Sunwolves | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 240 | 398 | -158 | 29 | 60 | 6 |
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