VIDEO: Bulls salvage a draw in Auckland
SUPER RUGBY REPORT: The Bulls got two valuable points after playing out a 22-all draw with the Blues in Auckland on Friday.
The Blues had an opportunity to win the game after the full-time hooter sounded, but flyhalf Harry Plummer pulled his penalty wide of the uprights.
Each side scored three tries in a match that only sparked to life in the second half, when torrential rain at Eden Park finally eased.
Manie Libbok’s 76th-minute try was the final one in the game and proved to be vital in the end.
They were both desperate for a win but the result suits the Bulls better, lifting them to second in the South African conference, at least temporarily, on 34 points.
That puts them in the mix for a play-off berth, but the Blues still sit outside the top eight on 28 points and their dream of making the finals for the first time since 2011 is over.
“We’re in a tough spot, we’ll take this as a loss,” captain Patrick Tuipulotu said.
“We wanted a win with a bonus try but unfortunately couldn’t do that. It’s been a tough year, but we’ve improved a lot. We can take it on the chin but have to keep moving forward.”
The Bulls entered the match as underdogs, having lost 11 of their last 12 matches on the Blues’ home turf and missing key players in Duane Vermeulen and Handre Pollard.
Stand-in skipper Burger Odendaal said any points were welcome in a tight race for the finals.
“It’s a bittersweet one,” he said. ” We really wanted to out it through tonight but in the end we’re basically happy with a draw.”
Hanro Liebenberg scored the opening try when the Bulls held onto the ball after a lineout and patiently worked it through 11 phases.
The Blues almost hit back immediately but Marco van Staden produced a try-saving tackle on the line.
Auckland prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi made no mistake a few minutes later, crashing over after a run from Akira Ioane to put the hosts 10-8 ahead at half-time.
Scott Scrafton extended the Blues’ lead with a try in the corner after the restart before Bulls winger Cornal Hendricks made it 15-15 after chasing his own chip-kick down the sideline.
Tit-for-tat tries to Akira Ioane and Libbok again levelled the scores with four minutes on clock, with the Blues going on the attack but failing to find a breakthrough to save their season.
CLICK HERE for a recap of the action
Man of the match: Fullback Melani Nanai was immense with ball in hand. He kept the Bulls’ defence busy with a number of powerful runs and he made a few clean breaks as well.
The scorers:
For Blues:
Tries: Tu’ungafasi, Scrafton, Ioane
Cons: Plummer 2
Pen: Plummer
For Bulls:
Tries: Liebenberg, Hendricks, Libbok
Cons: Libbok 2
Pen: Libbok
Teams:
Blues: 15 Melani Nanai, 14 Caleb Clarke, 13 Thomas Faiane, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Harry Plummer, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Blake Gibson, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 James Parsons, 1 Alex Hodgman.
Replacements: 16 Leni Apisai, 17 Lua Li, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Hoskins Sotutu, 21 Augustine Pulu, 22 Otere Black, 23 Tanielu Tele’a.
Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 John-Ben Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Andre Warner, 22 John Jackson, 23 Divan Rossouw.
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand), Dan Waenga (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
