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Full steam ahead: The Crusaders cruise against the Bulls
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Teams
- Bulls
- Crusaders
Also see
- Minute-by-minute: How the Crusaders put the Bulls to the sword
The Bulls were no match for the classy Crusaders as the hosts marched to a 27-0 Super Rugby victory in Timaru on Saturday.
Between them these teams have won the last six Super Rugby titles but only one side looked like championship contenders.
Outmuscled, outhussled, outplayed - outclassed! The Bulls just didn't pitch up against a Crusaders team in rampant form.
It's the first time since 1999 that the men from Pretoria have failed to get on the scoreboard in a Super Rugby game and unless they can turn their form around in a big way - and soon - they can forget about defending their title.
The Crusaders were full value for their win as they controlled proceedings brilliantly, scoring three tries and forcing the Bulls into constant mistakes.
Starved of possession in the first half, the Bulls kicked for territory on the rare occasions they got their hands on the ball. Soon they were forced to try keep ball in hand to get back in the game but were beaten to almost every breakdown and turnovers became the norm.
As bad as the Bulls were, the Crusaders were outstanding. If anything the scoreline flatters the visitors since Matt Berquist missed a number of shots at goal.
Chris Jack had a storming game, giving Mr. Line-out Victor Matfield plenty of trouble, while Robbie Fruean and Sonny Bill Williams showed once again that they are the form midfield pairing in the competition.
It was one-way traffic in the first half as the Crusaders completely dominated possession. The Bulls rarely threatened to score and were 8-0 down after fifteen minutes when Williams scored a scintillating solo try.
SBW went straight through opposite number Wynand Olivier to burst clear, sprint 35 metres before muscling his way past the cover defence to score.
Berquist was not having a great night from the kicking tee and missed the conversion but did land three penalties by the half-time break to give the hosts a 14-0 lead.
It was a similar story in the second half and it took just three minutes after the restart for hosts to grab another try as full-back Israel Dagg powered through weak tackles from Pierre Spies and Fourie du Preez.
Berquist added another penalty as the Bulls' frustration showed before replacement back Tom Marshall added the hosts' third try in the closing stages, as Gerhard van den Heever missed a tackle.
The Bulls woes were compounded by the sight of lock Flip van der Merwe leaving the field with a serious facial injury.
The Chiefs are next up for the Crusaders while the Bulls now head to Australia to face the Reds.
The scorers:
For Crusaders:
Tries: Williams, Dagg, Marshall
Pens: Berquist 4
The teams:
Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (capt), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Jonathan Poff, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Tom Marshall, 22 Adam Whitelock.
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 MornÚ Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Rossouw de Klerk, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Derick KuŘn, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.
Venue: Alpine Energy Stadium, Timaru
Referee: Jonathon White (New Zealand)
Assistant referee: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Comments
dylster says...
@ 7ton
well said mate
@ carpelone
couldnt agree more about interpretations at the breakdown. thats what seperates a good loosie from a great loosie. It doesnt take McCaw long to figure out the ref and know what he can get away with. Some plays other refs and most SA supporters say is illegal he will get away with, cos he has figured out the ref will allow it. Thats what makes him so awesome. Pocock and Brussow arent far behind in this.
Most SA refs i think are good (except Peyper), and I am obviously biased but i think the kiwi refs mostly do a good job too. Aussie refs 50/50.
NH refs are also, in my opinion, 50/50. some are good but a lot are pedantic and whistle-happy, dont let the game flow.
The WC quarterfinal agaisnt France...the forward pass was annoying but it happens. Like you said it was all the ruck infringements that pi$$ed me off. no penalties against the French in the 2nd half? cmon!! I do think Barnes is a lot better ref nowdays tho, one of the best in the NH.
Posted 07:36 14th April 2011
7ton says...
Carpelone
Only Kiwis? How strange you seem to have forgotten those Aussies and Irish who were complaining about the ref and the Italian scrummaging recently. Especially seeing you yourself commented on those articles.
Now if you really don't want to provoke futile discussions then why do you come up with so many incorrect statistics and accusations of biased referees bending the laws to suit their own country?
Yes I agree there is a problem with the refereeing of the breakdown and the scrum but to be fair to referees they have a difficult job and I'm sure the majority try their best to be fair.
I think the problem is that so many laws are left to the ref┐s interpretation.
For example the tackler is supposed to release the player immediately he is tackled and on the ground yet the tackled player can get back on his feet with the ball if he is not properly held in the tackle so exactly how long is "immediately"
From the players point of view they have to spend a fair part of the game trying to figure out what the ref┐s particular interpretations are and playing to them.
Then of course there are those that try to con the ref into giving them penalties and base the majority of their game on winning penalties and it can be very frustrating when a close game is won or lost by a 50/50 penalty call
However instead of carping on about it perhaps we could write to the IRB and make some suggestions but if we were to complain about biased referees they probably would just think we were sore losers and take no notice
Posted 00:22 14th April 2011
Carpelone says...
Ok guys. I do not want to provoke futile discussions (only you kiwis thought that your scrum was not humbled by the Italians) .
My question to you is: for the sake of rugby, do you think we have problems in refereeing the breakdown?
I consistently see decisions which go either way.
NZ's referees obviously see it differently from SA's referees. Not to mention NH's referees.
Just remember what happened in Cardiff against France. Apart from the obvious forward pass, I thought that there were many infringements by the French at breakdown. We are having the same situation now.
I could be biased, but the best referee at the moment is Craig Joubert, in my opinion
Posted 11:44 13th April 2011
dylster says...
@ Carpelone
and the relevance of Crockett not playing again is? Love the way you avoid the facts and yeah great comeback
and your 2nd sentence...again whats the relevance there? you brought up the italian scrum 'fiasco' and I've proved that your wrong.
The ABs do have weaknesses, Backup 1st five, backup openside flanker(although I think Matt Todd is definitely putting his hand up), our lineout isnt that strong, and we are chokers!
i just hope that all the ABs opponents are fully fit and the ref is fair, so IF the ABs win their wont be all the rubbish we have to put up with about conspiracy theories, ABs being favoured by the ref, O'Brien is somehow influencing things and McCaw being a cheat. I really am getting sick of all the haters coming up with lame excuses as to why the ABs bet them....
Posted 10:28 13th April 2011
KiwiLad says...
Carpelone, How have the rules been altered to fit Kiwis???
Lifting in the lineouts became legal rather than penalise the Boks off the park..
The substitution rule was created to stop the Boks fudging the old rules..
Change of diet??? leave the sour grapes alone!
Posted 08:53 13th April 2011
7ton says...
Carpelone
About as many Crusader/AB players release the tackled player as Bulls/SA players or any others all round the World do. Of course the Bulls/SA players would never be offside would they? Kiwi refs bending the rules? Funny I heard the same about the SA ref after the same fixture last year.
Posted 00:35 13th April 2011
Carpelone says...
@ dylster
Crockett never played for the All Blacks again since then, enough said.
If you Kiwis are unable to admit your few weaknesses, you will end up like in the other world cups.
It is better that you do not mention the fiasco word again, it seems appropriate to what you normally get out a RWC campaign.
Posted 11:07 12th April 2011
dylster says...
@ carpelone
learn the rules, go on to youtube and watch that scrum fiasco again. you can clearly see the italian prop boring in on an angle. Should have been a penalty to the ABs. It is then reset and Crockett destroys the Italian prop and he is turned in on an angle, again should have been a penalty to the Abs.
thats why Dickinson was reprimanded.
Posted 08:59 12th April 2011
Oneye says...
This was a good win but I wonder how much we can really read into it. The Bulls are no longer the benchmark team. Crusaders fans will be eagerly awaiting the clashes against the Stormers and Reds - who look like the best of the rest.
The most promising signs here were the forward pack dominance and a good effort from Berquist at flyhalf. He's no Carter but after a season in the Crusaders environment he should be a solid back up. Matt Todd is also going to be a star. Not ready for the RWC yet, but a black jersey in 2012 is a strong possibility.
Posted 04:38 12th April 2011
pacfcrugby4eva says...
Would the SBW critics please stand up!! 'One trick, predictable, intercept waiting to happen'....still waiting....27-0 says a lot, or are we just imagining things...just as the SBW critics keep dreaming up new issues?! SBW will become one of the all time greats if he carries on in this fashion!
Posted 03:51 12th April 2011
carpelone says...
@ safehands
Is not there a problem of consistency in refereeing the breakdown?
Can you name a single Crusader/AB who releases the tackled player before contesting the ball?
Do they enter from the side at the ruck or not?
I am not suggesting that the score could have possibly been affected, however I dont like the way Kiwi referees bend Rugby Union Laws to suit Kiwi's players characteristics. O'Brien's reprimand to Dickinson for not having protected AB's scrum against Italy In Milano was disgusting.
I was personally very much impressed by the Crusaders, and Dagg had a very good game. I want to say it because I criticised him against the Sharks. Well done.
Posted 22:21 11th April 2011
safehands says...
@carpelone......as a neutral supporter for this particular game......I think if you watch the game with a new pair of spectacles you may find that in most instances it was actually the Bulls players who were infringing consistently at the breakdown by not rolling away, not releasing the tackler, entering from the side etc.
Instead of trying to create another Kiwi conspiracy theory with bollocks, try and appreciate the game for what it was....a masterclass from the Crusaders.
For those of us who support other S15 franchises, this is the team to beat in 2011...despite the Stormers having only lost for the first time. The Saders can scrummage, defend and with their fearsome attack they are going to hard to beat if they get a home semi final.
Posted 00:56 11th April 2011
carpelone says...
Well done to Crusaders, simply fitter and hungrier.
Disgusted by the refereeing. Apparently, the gate for Kiwis is larger than for everybody else and they join the breakdown consistently from the side. Are these the new laws we are talking about? With NH referees, this would be penalties and yellow cards.
Posted 19:18 10th April 2011
KiwiLad says...
Trinats, Bulls players consistently ahead of the hindmost foot at ruck time...
Bulls warned about killing the ball at the breakdown how many times and no yellow card despite threats?
On several occasions a Bulls player went to ground, got up and played the ball without 1st releasing it.. And thats just from my half drunk memory...
Posted 02:08 10th April 2011
brands says...
gotta love the knockers, the ref called it as it was! the Crusaders had too much class, plain and simple!!
Posted 23:33 09th April 2011
tavish says...
All I have to say is THANK YOU Peter de Villiers. The Brainless Nutter in charge of SA rugby had a wee rant last week - quote "I would love us to annihilate the Aussie and the New Zealand teams now and build a kind of fear factor into them,". Well, there was annihilation, but not us mate. Your Champion Bull's with 13 past or current Boks running out. Held scoreless. Your outdated Kick and Chase tactics do not work against quality sides like the Crusaders. Kick possession to us, thank you very much. And more impressive they smashed the Bulls with no McCaw or Carter. Both whom are back next week. And how bright the future looks for the Crusaders, Matt Todd is basically McCaw's shadow now - a real promise. And when Carter leaves Slade will be back from his loan spell at the Highlanders. And the mighty Bulls, no such future for them, tired and on the decline, not looking good beyond this year!
Posted 22:32 09th April 2011
Trinats says...
KiwiLad:
I wasn't the only one to notice it, even our one eyed commentators did.
Posted 21:47 09th April 2011
runnrugby says...
Did anyone notice how Pierre Spies tried to hold up the ball carrier nearly everytime he made a tackle looking for a turnover. It backfired on him when Dagg kept driving through to score that try. It was good to see Chris Jack starting. Played like he wanted his black jersey back
Posted 21:43 09th April 2011
hybrid187 says...
So chuffed they kept the Bulls scoreless... 1st time since '99. This was basically NZ b - SA b sans McCaw et Carter.
The Nonu/Smith combo is in serious jeopardy, especially after this game, imo.
Again was impressed with Matt Todd... World Cup chances anyone ? Was good seeing Chris Jack getting in there as well...
Posted 21:01 09th April 2011
bigb69 says...
Against a team that did not throw an intercept pass, and can catch a kick, the South African teams tactics are nullified, and rewarded with a score of zero.
And as for the ref, if anything he gave the Bulls a hand, protected there scrum, then again the previous week the Bulls were allowed to stand offside all day.
One fact, since full nuetral referees were introduced to internationals the All Black win % has only climbed.
Posted 20:37 09th April 2011