Brumbies fail to take advantage

Defending champions take win - but semis out of reach

Last updated: 9th May 2008

morne steyn bulls 15/3/2008

Bulls fly-half Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and two conversions

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The Northern Bulls recorded a 28-17 win over the ACT Brumbies in the penultimate round of 2008's Super 14 competition.

The South African defending champions outscored their Australian opponents by three tries to two to record their sixth win of the season.

With just one round of matches to play, the Bulls occupy 10th place in the table, while the Brumbies are eighth - neither side therefore able to challenge for the semi-finals.

An entertaining first half saw the Bulls play with 13 men for 20 minutes after fullback Zane Kirchner and hooker Derick Kuun were both sin-binned.

There was nevertheless little to separate the teams, but the home side did enjoy an 18-10 advantage at the break.

Centre JP Nel scored their first try as early as the fourth minute after a counter-attack from deep inside the Bulls' half.

And just a few minutes later, fly-half Morne Steyn knocked over his first penalty to give the defending champions a deserved 8-0 lead.

However, the Brumbies then found their rhythm and, halfway through the opening half, lock Alister Campbell ran a great angle to break through the opposition defence and crash over.

Captain Stirling Mortlock added the extras to close the gap to a single point.

Advantage

The Bulls then lost Kirchner for a dangerous tackle, but rather than the Brumbies making the most of their numerical advantage, they instead conceded a second try, scored by flanker Wikus van Heerden.

Steyn's conversion made it 15-7 for the home side, but moments after Kirchner had returned, Kuun was in turn sin-binned for killing the ball.

Mortlock kicked the resulting penalty but, ahead of half time, Steyn added another for the Bulls.

He converted a third early in the second half before centre Wynand Olivier beat the tackles of Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper to touch down by the posts for a converted try.

The visitors looked capable of fighting back when replacement forward Peter Kimlin finished off a well-worked move to go over - the try converted by Mortlock - but the Bulls managed to hang on.

They face the Central Cheetahs next week, while the Brumbies are up against the Western Force.