Rugby: Hurricanes topple Bulls at Loftus

Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara in action during this morning's Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. Photo / Getty Images

Hurricanes 17
Bulls 13

Maybe these Hurricanes are for real.

Beating the Lions last week was one thing, but toppling the Bulls in Pretoria is another level and Chris Boyd's side showed continued improvement on defence during their 17-13 win over the Bulls at Loftus today.

The Hurricanes came in to the contest on the back of a scrappy 22-8 win over the Lions in Johannesburg last Saturday where they barely had the ball but managed to squeeze out a victory.

On the flipside, the Bulls were upset 29-17 by the Stormers at their Loftus fortress, which is so often a graveyard for visiting teams, in the opening round of Super Rugby.

The Hurricanes weren't daunted by the prospect of meeting the Bulls and were happy to confront them in the forwards, while the accurate boot of Beauden Barrett helped the scoreboard tick over.

A second-half try to wing Julian Savea proved vital as the Hurricanes celebrated back-to-back victories in South Africa for the first time since 2006 - the year they made the Super Rugby final.

The Hurricanes welcomed back former favourite son Ma'a Nonu today who made his first appearance in the yellow jersey since 2011 after spending time with the Blues and Highlanders in recent seasons.

The second-five linked with his long-time running mate Conrad Smith and the pair boasted more than 250 Super Rugby caps between them in the midfield.

Nonu hadn't played since he broke his arm during a test match against South Africa in Wellington in September and coach Boyd said earlier this week that he wasn't putting pressure on Nonu to deliver right away.

The 32-year-old was largely kept under wraps by the Bulls, although he showed some solid touches along the way.

Defence was again a cornerstone of the Hurricanes' performance and new assistant coach John Plumtree has taken charge of the defensive brief this season and they've conceded only two tries in their first two games.

Callum Gibbins spent more than two years waiting for his first start for the Hurricanes but the openside flanker from Manawatu put in a bruising shift before he was replaced by the speedy Ardie Savea with 30 minutes to play.

Gibbins was a member of the Hurricanes' wider training group for two seasons before he was offered a full-time contract and while he doesn't play with the same pace as Savea, his confrontational approach helped the Hurricanes take the Bulls on up front.

Boyd left Savea in reserve to join the likes of Victor Vito coming off the pine so the Hurricanes could finish with mobility against a big Bulls forward pack.

Bulls forward Grant Hattingh looked like he had stolen the win for the home side with a try in the final minutes but he was out in goal as he forced the ball.

The Hurricanes complete their season-beginning road trip when they meet the Force in Perth next Saturday.

Hurricanes 17 (Julian Savea try; Beauden Barrett 4 pen) Bulls 13 (Handre Pollard try; Pollard 2 pen, con) halftime: 9-10