South Africa's Bulls bounced back from two successive losses to grind out a 20-6 win over the New South Wales Waratahs yesterday. The Bulls, who had lost to the Otago Highlanders and Canterbury Crusaders after having won their first five games, moved into third place on 27 points. The Waratahs also have 27 points but slipped to fourth on points difference.
The Springboks winger Bryan Habana scored a first half try for the Bulls, while prop Werner Kruger drove over in the second half after a sustained period of pressure. Fly-half Morne Steyn converted both tries and added a penalty and drop goal. "We really needed to win after two losses," said the Bulls captain Victor Matfield. "It wasn't pretty but we got the four points we were looking for.
"It was all about keeping them in their half and putting pressure on them and combining a great defence with a great kicking game and that worked for us." The Waratahs fly-half Daniel Halangahu scored a 40th-minute penalty to give the home side their only points in the first half before his replacement Kurtley Beale added another three points in the second period. "Energy was low tonight and we just weren't there," said Phil Waugh, the Waratahs captain. "There is such a fine line between winning and losing games and you have to be up for every game and tonight we were not up." Replacement scrum-half Patrick Phibbs scored a try to cap an emotional victory for the ACT Brumbies against South Africa's Stormers in Canberra yesterday. Phibbs touched down in the 60th minute and the home team held on for a 17-10 win to conclude a week in which lock Shawn Mackay died in a South African hospital. The 27-year-old Phibbs went to high school with Mackay, who died on Monday in Durban after contracting a blood infection following surgery for injuries sustained when he was hit by a car.
The Brumbies wore black armbands, as they will for the remainder of the season, while Mackay's name, player number (118) and years of his life (1982-2009) were embroidered on each of their jerseys. George Naoupu, the No 8, squeezed over for a try with 12 minutes remaining to help the Otago Highlanders eke out a 24-19 victory over the Queensland Reds in Invercargill yesterday. Lock Josh Bekhuis and winger Kendrick Lynn scored the other tries for the Highlanders, who recorded their third successive victory.
"They came off two heavy losses and we knew they would come out hard at us," said the Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan. "It was messy and it wasn't pretty but the boys showed some good backbone in the end to get the four points." The Hurricanes overturned a 14-point deficit to beat the Western Force 28-27 to all but end the Perth club's Super 14 season. * Agencies
