Reds run rings around Bulls
The Reds produced one of Super 14′s most exhilarating displays of 2010 to upset Victor Matfield’s men 19-12 with a game plan few teams can copy.
Only the Reds possess a halfback in Wallaby will Genia who is capable of out-darting and out-playing the world’s best in Fourie du Preez as he did at Suncorp Stadium.
“Hats off to the Reds. They played some of the best continuity rugby I’ve seen for a long time and we couldn’t get our strengths into the game,” a gracious Ludeke said. “We’ll learn a lot from that loss. We also could not get our maul going and the scrum wasn’t flying either.”
It wasn’t false praise to later be disguised by a snarl at his own team not turning up to play.
The Bulls threw everything into it. any less committed defence would have conceded six tries, not just two, such were the run-and-stun tactics of the competition’s surprise team.
It was the Bulls who climbed off the canvas at 19-7 down to rally with a Pedrie Wannenburg try that gave the tourists 11 minutes to pull off a great escape.
“It was a massive performance on defence from us to stay in the game and we almost sneaked in,” Ludeke said. “We had four more opportunities in their 22 (after the try) and were kept out.
“Overall it was a fantastic tour with 10 points from three games. there was a lot of unity and constructive work so we can look forward to performing back in front of a home crowd for the local derby against the Lions on Saturday.”
The Crusaders (34 points), Bulls (34), Stormers (33) and Reds (30) are now tight at the top but only the Bulls have three home games in the four-round run home.
The sizzle in Genia’s partnership with flyhalf Quade Cooper enabled the Reds to scheme one step ahead of the Springbok pairing of Du Preez and Morne Steyn.
Everything about the Reds display was fast and furious as their methods blunted the Bulls by denying them their strengths to launch off lineouts and any weight of possession.
It was the Reds who commanded 61% of the ball.
Shrewd Reds coach Ewen McKenzie had Genia, often on the blindside, and Cooper operate on different sides of the ruck to confuse the Bulls defence.
The Reds drilled all week at training in sacking Bulls lineout jumpers as soon as they came back to earth to stymie rolling mauls before they started.
“We didn’t kick much, so we kept the ball away from them and their lineouts and the payoff came late when they got tired and flustered,” McKenzie said.
Just before the hour mark, the Reds poached their first lineout against the throw. the follow-up was instant with winger Rod Davies scooting over at the end of a sharp backline counter for 19-7.
Earlier, it was a scrum collapse on the Bulls own feed that cost them three points while a loose Gary Botha pass also bit the Bulls.
Genia swooped on the loose ball, hoofed it downfield and flanker Scott Higginbotham, a certain new Wallaby in June, turned it to gold.
He outsprinted Bulls centres Stephan Dippenaar and Wynand Olivier over 80m to slide-dive onto the ball for a try.
The Bulls had shown their own capabilities to counter from such range for the opening try of one of the matches of the season.
Fullback Zane Kirchner made a lovely linebreak. Non-stop flanker Dewald Potgieter handled twice in the movement before fellow back-rower Derick Kuun plunged over.
A bloodied Potgieter was forced off midway through the first half with a gashed head when he was a victim of friendly fire from Kuun’s knee. Replacement Wannenburg’s try was somewhat fortuitous because a Reds feed seemed to fly through the scrum tunnel. He picked it up and twisted over.
Genia was so swift off the mark with the quick ruck ball won by the Reds that he consistently evaded the covering defence.
The Bulls’ forward runners were often battered back by a no-name Reds pack in which former All Black flanker Daniel Braid (four caps) had the only Test credentials.
Ludeke said: “Definitely you’d now count the Reds as a (title) chance with the way they are playing.”
Scorers
Reds (19) Tries: Scott Higginbotham, Rod Davies. Penalties: Quade Cooper (3)
Bulls (12) Tries: Pedrie Wannenburg, Derick Kuun. Conversion -Morne Steyn
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.