Blues halt Bulls' charge

The Bulls' six-match unbeaten run came to and end at Eden Park with a 32-17 defeat by Super 14 rivals the Blues.

Steven Brett claimed 22 points with the boot, slotting six of his seven penalty attempts and converting the tries of Isaia Toeava and Joe Rokocoko to help his side to victory.

The Bulls' performance was marred by ill-discipline, conceding 14 penalties and two yellow cards on the way to their first defeat since April last year.

Substitute loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg was sent to the sin-bin 13 minutes into the second half for the team's repeated infringements at the breakdown.

And in the closing minutes Flip van der Merwe was shown the yellow card for a late and high tackle on Blues scrum-half Alby Mathewson.

Superb

The opening 20 minutes saw respective fly-halves Brett and Morne Steyn exchange penalties, Brett eventually booting the Blues into a 6-3 lead.

But it was the visitors who scored the first try, number-eight Pierre Spies crossing in the corner with a superb counter-attacking move after Blues centre Rene Ranger lost possession.

Steyn missed the conversion and Brett duly put the home side back in front with another penalty soon after.

The lead changed hands twice more before the first half was over. First Styen booted his side back in front with a 30 metre drop goal to edge the Bulls 11-9 ahead.

But with four minutes remaining, some great passing in the three quarters saw the ball whipped out wide for full-back Toeava to run in unopposed at the corner.

Brett's conversion took the home side into the break with a 16-11 lead.

Swamped

Brett and Steyn traded penalties again at the start of the second half and with 20 minutes to go the Blues were up 22-17.

But, already down to 14 men following Wannenburg's sin-binning, the Bulls got themselves into terrible trouble deep inside their own 22.

a quick throw-in attempt went horribly wrong for the visitors as Zane Kirchner found himself swamped by Blues players and dispossessed of the ball.

Toeava served up a neat flick to Rokocoko who dived over in the right corner to give his side a 27-11 lead.

A well struck conversion from out wide by Brett added two points and effectively put the result beyond doubt.

And when Van der Merwe was sent to back to the dugout close to the end, the Blues stand-off rubbed salt in the wound with three more.