Jaguares stun Bulls at Loftus
SUPER RUGBY REPORT: The Jaguares’ second-half comeback made sure they record their first-ever win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
With the Bulls going down 13 men in the last 10 minutes, Jaguares took full advantage as Domingo Miotti made a dream debut with two tries for the 22-20 victory over the Bulls.
The result means that Sharks remain on top of the South African conference while the Jaguares are currently fourth – overtaking the Stormers who found themselves at the bottom.
Was certainly a very slow start as both teams opted for a very tactical and measured approach in front another disappointing Super Rugby crowd in Pretoria.
The Bulls missing the likes of Springboks Handre Pollard and Jesse Kriel due to the World Cup resting protocol, put the visitors under early pressure when a kick by Divan Rossouw got the team inside the Jaguares’ 22 for the line-out. The Argentinians conceded a penalty, however, flyhalf Manie Libbok couldn’t capitalize.
Less than two minutes later, the 21-year-old had another shot at goal and this time he made no mistake, handing the Bulls a 3-0 lead.
The Jaguares’ discipline certainly was a key factor which Libbok had no problem exploiting. The flyhalf kept the scoreboard ticking and spearheaded the Bulls to a 9-0 lead with the boot.
Nonetheless, despite their discipline woes, the visitors proved to be lethal on attack and finally broke their duck thanks to some great individual work by Pablo Matera. The flank bumped of numerous defenders and dived over the chalk for the five-pointer. Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias added the extras to narrow the deficit to just two points.
The Bulls with 64 percent possession, had two try-scoring opportunities just before the break however their first attempt was held up while a knock-on diminished the second one.
The host employed a different tactic in the second half, opting to spread the ball which paid off when Burger Odedaal made a lethal break before sending Jade Stighling over the line for the Bulls’ first try of the match.
It went from bad to worse for the Jaguares, replacement Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro got handed a yellow card for a high tackle on Embrose Papier, before the two flyhalves exchanged penalties – Libbok added two more penalties and Iglesias one as the Bulls further their lead to 20-10.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, the momentum shifted and drama unfolded at Loftus.
Aside from having to conclude the match with 13 men after Tim Agaba and Conraad Van Vuuren were handed yellow cards, the Bulls’ defence were in shambles as two stunning backline moves that included 13 phases and over 25 passes resulted in two tries for replacement Domingo Motti.
The debutant managed to convert one try for the 22-20 lead, which proved to be enough to secure them a late, dramatic and completely unexpected second win over the Bulls.
Man of the match: Burger Odendaal made some noticeable breaks, while Divan Rossouw’s tactical kicking handed Bulls a big advantage before he left the field in the 67th minute. However our nod goes to Jaguares flank Pablo Matera, who not only were impressive at the breakdown but his linebreaks were vital.
The Scorers:
For Bulls:
Try: Stighling
Pens: Libbok 5
For Jaguares:
Tries: Matera, Miotti 2.
Cons: Gonzalez Iglesias, Miotti
Pen: Gonzalez Iglesias
Yellow cards: Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro (Jaguares, 46 – dangerous tackle) Tim Agaba (Bulls, 71 – illegal charging), Conraad Van Vuuren (Bulls, 77 – cynical foul)
As it happened: Bulls v Jaguares
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Teams:
Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Johnny Kotze, 13 Dylan Sage, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Hanro Liebenberg, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Thembelani Bholi, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 JT Jackson, 23 Cornal Hendricks.
Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Mayco Vivas.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Enrique Pieretto Heilan, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Joaquin Tuculet.
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa)
