Bulls snatch late bonus in PE
A late try from Akona Ndungane secured the bonus point for the Bulls in their comprehensive 34-0 victory over the Kings.
The Pretoria side scored two tries in each half in Port Elizabeth to secure the top spot in the South African conference.
The match got off to a frantic start as both teams sent the ball wide, and it was the Bulls who struck when their backline made the most of a good platform from an attacking line-out.
A deft inside ball from Morne Steyn saw young centre Jan Serfontein go over for the try which gave the visitors an early 7-0 advantage.
The Kings had an opportunity to respond immediately when captain Luke Watson was played off the ball by Deon Stegmann, but the Bulls were efficient on defence and extended their lead to 10-0 when Steyn slotted a 20th minute penalty.
The Bulls were enjoying the majority of possession on top of their territorial advantage, and they made it count with another breathtaking backline try which was finished off by scrumhalf Jano Vermaak.
The ball was sent out to Lionel Mapoe who found Serfontein in support and got it back before unleashing Vermaak who slid over in the corner.
The Kings found themselves 17 points down and pinned in their own half, and it got even worse as the Bulls launched yet more waves of attack in their 22.
The Kings showed their characteristic commitment on defence under some serious pressure from the Bulls who were forced to resort to a Morne Steyn drop-goal to make it a 20-0 lead at half-time.
The Kings made an determined start to the second half, and started to build some pressure in Bulls territory but they could not make it count on the scoreboard as the Bulls held them out.
The Bulls searched desperately for a further two tries to secure a bonus point, and they were given hope of doing so when replacement flank Jacques Potgieter bashed his way over for a late try.
The killer blow was delivered by Ndungane who scored on the stroke of full-time to send his side to the top of the South African conference.
Man of the match: Bulls centre Jan Serfontein made something happen every time he was involved, underlining his massive potential with an impressive performance.
The scorers:
For the Kings:
None
For the Bulls:
Tries: Serfontein, Vermaak, Potgieter, Ndungane
Cons: Steyn 2, Fouche 2
Pen: Steyn
DG: Steyn
Teams:
Southern Kings: 15 George Whitehead, 14 Ronnie Cooke, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, Luke Watson (captain), 7 Wimpie van der Walt, 6 Cornell du Preez, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Grant Kemp, 18 Rynier Barnardo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Scott van Breda, 22 Siviwe Soyizwapi.
Bulls: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Lionel Mapoe, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Frik Kirsten, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Morne Mellett.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Paul Willemse, 19 Jacques Potgieter, 20 Rudi Paige, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Bjorn Basson.
Referee: Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Ben Crouse (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
TMO: Johann Meuwessen (South Africa)
