Steyn reaches 1,000 as Bulls hammer Cheetahs

Updated March 04, 2012 08:02:19

Fly half Morne Steyn became the third player to score 1,000 Super Rugby points as he converted all six of the Bulls' tries and added three penalties in their impressive 51-19 hammering of the Cheetahs on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Steyn joined Canterbury Crusaders fly half Dan Carter (1,272 points) and Australian Stirling Mortlock (1,031) as he became the first South African to reach four figures. He has now scored 1,012 points in 91 games, all for the Bulls.

The Bulls went to the top of the standings with nine points despite finishing the match with 13 men after Francois Hougaard was harshly red-carded in the 64th minute for a tip-tackle and flank Jacques Potgieter was yellow-carded for a shoulder-charge in the 78th minute.

However, such setbacks failed to stop the Bulls from charging to victory and condemning fellow South African side the Cheetahs to the bottom of the table.

Props Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger scored the first two Bulls tries from close range, while Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen kept the home side in touch with his immaculate kicking ability as he scored three penalties to narrow the gap to 17-9.

The Bulls kept piling on the pressure as wing Bjorn Basson scored another try to open up a commanding 31-12 lead at half-time.

Following the interval, Akona Ndungane burst clear of the Cheetahs' defence and passed inside for full-back Zane Kirchner to score.

Steyn landed his second and third penalties to stretch the lead to 37-12 after 58 minutes.

"We're very disappointed but credit to the Bulls, tactically they were better than us and credit to their defence," Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss said.

"We were on their line for a while but we couldn't get through."

Hougaard was then red-carded, despite centre Robert Ebersohn twisting around in the tackle and going to ground head-first.

That interruption temporarily caught the Bulls off guard and Strauss pounced to score Cheetahs' only try.

The Bulls quickly regained control and scored two more tries in the last 10 minutes through replacement centre JJ Engelbrecht and Kirchner.

"It's easy to play well when 15 players are so willing to work hard for each other," outstanding Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle said.

"Morne Steyn is a special athlete, well done to him."

Bulls: 51 (Z Kirchner 2, D Greyling, W Kruger, B Basson, JJ Engelbrecht tries; M Steyn 6 cons; 3 pens)

Cheetahs: 19 (A Strauss try; J Goosen con; 4 pens)

Reuters

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, south-africa

First posted March 04, 2012 07:54:15

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Fine-tuned Reds hammer Force

Updated February 17, 2012 07:57:14

The Queensland Reds tuned up for the Super Rugby season in grand style, thrashing the Western Force 40-10 in Thursday night's trial game in Perth.

Tries to Digby Ioane, James Horwill, Greg Holmes, Luke Morahan and Jono Lance were more than enough to sink the Force, who struggled to string phases together and will enter the season on the back of two heavy trial losses.

With Australia coach Robbie Deans watching from the stands, Queensland's big names stood tall, with Will Genia sensational at scrum-half and Ioane at his destructive best on the wing.

In contrast, the Force - beaten 25-0 by the Brumbies last week - lacked any fluency, with their only highlight of the night coming through Ben McCalman's 71st-minute consolation try.

But the home side's night was further soured when lock Sam Wykes limped off in the dying minutes with a leg injury.

The Force, already minus the likes of Nick Cummins (leg), Richard Brown (shoulder) and Nathan Sharpe (calf), lost winger Napolioni Nalaga before the match after the Fijian winger fell ill.

"Just lucky that that one counts for no points," a disappointed Force coach Richard Graham said after the game.

"In the first 40 minutes we just copped a lesson in terms of physicality around the breakdown.

"I thought our ball security was clearly poor.

"We wouldn't have got past five phases many times at all."

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie felt his men had improved from last week's 27-20 trial victory over the Brumbies.

"Both the trials have been physical and we had a lot of breakdown work to fix from last week and we did better this week," McKenzie said.

"I thought we did well with a pretty young and inexperienced back row."

Force five-eighth James Stannard nailed the opening penalty of the night but from there it was all the Reds, who piled on 18 unanswered points to lead 18-3 by half-time.

Ioane started the rout in the 15th minute, crossing in the corner after the Force's defence was caught short following a scrum.

Reds skipper Horwill added a second when the Reds, after a mountain of phases, finally broke through a dogged Force defence.

Immediately after the try, Force flanker Matt Hodgson was handed a yellow card after his involvement in a behind-the-play scrap.

The Reds took off big guns Horwill and the returning Anthony Fainga'a at half-time, but it failed to halt Queensland's charge as Holmes and Morahan crossed for tries to put the visitors ahead 35-3 after 52 minutes.

AAP

Tags: super-14, rugby-union, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia, qld

First posted February 17, 2012 07:26:57

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