Rugby: Bulls overpower Sharks

PRETORIA - Defending Super 14 champions Bulls scored two second-half tries to overpower South African rival the Sharks 27-19 this morning (NZT) and stay five points clear at the top of the standings.

The Bulls clinched a 17th consecutive victory at their Loftus Versfeld stadium with scores from Jacques-Louis Potgieter and Gerhard van den Heever, and 17 points from Springboks first five-eighths Morne Steyn.

Andy Goode had kicked four penalties as the visitors led in the rainy conditions until Potgieter went over in the 61st minute.

Van den Heever then scrambled over after a pinpoint cross-kick from Fourie du Preez.

Rory Kockott scored the Sharks' only try on 75 minutes but a first defeat in six games ends their semifinal hopes.

The Bulls' ninth win in 11 all but guarantees them a place in the playoffs.

"The team stuck to what we wanted to do," Bulls captain Victor Matfield said. "The conditions were very tough out there, it wasn't easy, but luckily we got the win in the end."

Goode and Steyn swapped penalties in a tight first half as the rain fell in Pretoria and limited the attacking opportunities of both teams.

But without injured Springboks JP Pietersen and Bismarck du Plessis the Sharks struggled to hold off a typical second half onslaught from the Bulls.

"The Bulls stuck to their structure a little bit longer than we could," Sharks skipper John Smit said. "That blue machine just keeps going."

They Bulls drew level with Steyn's 59th minute penalty.

The No 10 also had three uncharacteristic misses with kicks at goal as he chased 23 points to break the record for the fastest man to 200 points in a Super rugby season. Steyn needs six points next week, against Canterbury, to equal Canterbury No 10 Daniel Carter's 200 points in 12 games in 2004.

The Bulls went ahead for the first time after a break out from their own half started by center Wynand Olivier. He found fullback Zane Kirchner who timed his pass to Potgieter to send the No 13 in for a try in his first start of the season.

Steyn put the champions 22-12 ahead with his fifth penalty after a Bulls rolling maul marched the Sharks back 30 meters to their tryline.

Du Preez then launched his pinpoint cross-kick from the left hand touchline with seven minutes to go, and even though Kirchner and replacement Stephan Dippenaar couldn't hold on, van den Heever gathered and scrambled over in the corner for his eighth try of the season.

With it van den Heever moved past Auckland's Joe Rokocoko and is now the competition's leading try-scorer.

Kockott showed strength and speed to break through with just five minutes to go for the Sharks' sole try but the Bulls maintained an eight point cushion and closed out the game.

Wins for the Bulls against seven-time champions Canterbury, and the second-placed Stormers, will guarantee a home semifinal, which the Pretoria team are set to play in Soweto after the handover of Loftus for the football World Cup.

"Any place in South Africa is good for South African teams to play," man of the match Gary Botha said when asked about Bulls playoff matches away from fortress Loftus.

Bulls 27 (Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Gerhard van den Heever tries; Morne Steyn 5 penalties, conversion) def. Sharks 19 (Rory Kockott try; Andy Goode 4 penalties; Ruan Pienaar conversion). HT: 9-12.

- AP