The Bulls survived a late Crusaders onslaught to triumph 32-20 on Saturday in a thrilling Super 15 clash of former champions.
The home team recovered from an early 10-point deficit to lead by 16 points with 10 minutes remaining before a vocal holiday crowd at the Loftus Versfeld fortress of the three-time title holders.
However, seven-time champions Crusaders hit back with wing Zac Guildford crossing for a try Dan Carter converted and replacement back Tom Taylor having another try disallowed before Tom Marshall raced in and Carter converted again.
That left just two points between the southern hemisphere provincial giants and as the hooter sounded for time, the Crusaders found themselves with the ball just inside their 22m line.
Retaining possession under fierce pressure and receiving two penalties, the visitors forced their way to the halfway line before surrendering possession and a relieved replacement scrumhalf Jano Vermaak booted the ball into touch.
The Bulls ended with only 40 percent possession in a match of three phases, but their superiority in the first 30 minutes of the second half reaped 23 points, with master goal-kicker Morne Steyn in top form.
Prop Dean Greyling scored the other four minutes into the second half as he collected a pass from flank C.J. Stander, sold a dummy any back would have been proud of and dived over for only his second Super 15 touchdown.
The Crusaders retained possession superbly throughout the first half and would not have been flattered by a bigger halftime lead than 13-9, but added just three points before their late scoring surge.
Star flyhalf Dan Carter, making his second start after a lengthy injury layoff that sidelined him during the triumphant All Blacks march to last year’s Rugby World Cup title, missed four kicks out of seven at goal.
He converted tries by skipper and eighth man Kieran Read, Guildford and Marshall, kicked a penalty and a drop goal, and replacement Tom Taylor succeeded with his one penalty attempt.
CHEETAHS 26, LIONS 5
AFP, BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa
A burst of scoring in the first half set up a win for the Central Cheetahs against the Lions in their Super 15 match at Free State Stadium on Saturday.
The win gave the home team a six-point advantage on the log after a battle between the bottom teams in the South African conference.
It could prove a crucial difference as the team that finishes last could face relegation as a result of a decision by the South African Rugby Union to guarantee a place in next year’s competition to newcomers Southern Kings.
It took the Cheetahs 20 minutes to score the first points of the match, through a penalty by flyhalf Johan Goosen, but they then took control during a 15-minute period in which they added another 20 points to go into halftime 23-0 ahead.
The home team crossed the try line barely a minute after Goosen’s opening penalty when Lions wing Deon van Rensburg, under pressure, failed to find touch inside his own 22m line.
The Cheetahs spread the ball quickly across the field and center Robert Ebersohn skipped through for a try.
The Lions came out firing in the second half and dominated possession and territory.
However, their only reward was a try 15 minutes from the end by flank Cobus Grobbelaar following a break from a lineout by replacement scrumhalf Michael Bondesio.
Goosen did not return after halftime after appearing to suffer an injured left shoulder when he was tackled heavily by opposing flyhalf Elton Jantjies.
Jantjies, who kicked nine penalties when the Lions won 27-25 in a first round match between the teams in Johannesburg, did not have a single penalty attempt and missed his only kick at goal when he failed to convert Grobbelaar’s try.
Champagne corks often pop and loud, boisterous cheers are usually heard around Constitution Dock when the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line honors winner finishes in the Tasmanian state capital. There were no such celebrations this year when the defending champions on board LawConnect won the race in the early hours of yesterday morning, as it came about 24 hours after two sailors died on separate boats in sail boom accidents two hours apart on a storm-ravaged first night of the race. LawConnect, a 100-foot super maxi skippered by Australian tech millionaire Christian Beck, sailed up the River Derwent at just after 2:30am.
‘BOWLINE’ AND ‘ARCTOS’: Roy Quaden was hit on the head by a boom, while Nick Smith was struck by the main sheet and thrown across the boat amid rough seas Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, officials said yesterday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas. One of the crew members, 55-year-old Roy Quaden on Flying Fish Arctos, was hit on the head by a boom as the fleet raced down the New South Wales coast, race organizers said. The other man, 65-year-old Nick Smith, was struck by the main sheet aboard Bowline and thrown across the boat, said David Jacobs, vice commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. “Unfortunately, he hit his head on the winch, and
Liverpool on Thursday powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favorites survived a scare in their 3-1 win against Leicester City, while Bruno Fernandes was sent off in Manchester United’s dismal 2-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Erling Haaland missed a penalty as crisis-torn Manchester City failed to end their dismal run with a 1-1 draw against Everton, but it was United’s travails and Liverpool’s remarkable run that took center-stage. Arne Slot’s side were shocked by Jordan Ayew’s early strike at Anfield, but the leaders recovered their composure to equalize just before the interval through Cody
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
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