PRETORIA, South Africa, March 24 (Reuters) – Defending Super
Rugby champions the Queensland Reds came horribly unstuck at
Loftus Versfeld on Saturday when they were hammered 61-8 by the
Northern Bulls.
It was the second time in five years that the Reds had been
humiliated at Loftus following a record 92-3 loss in 2007.
The Reds were missing several injured members of their
triumphant 2011 team, notably flyhalf Quade Cooper, centre
Anthony Faingaa and wing Digby Ioane, and they were never in the
contest on Saturday.
The Bulls scored just one try in the first half through
fullback Zane Kirchner after a five-metre scrum but flyhalf
Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and a conversion to give them
a handy 16-3 lead.
However, the Bulls were creating space on attack almost at
will and the Reds plunged into despair midway through the second
half as the Bulls scored three tries to open up a 37-3 lead.
The powerful running of flank Jacques Potgieter and the
great hands of Steyn put centre Wynand Olivier over for a try in
the second minute of the half, before the strength of lock Flip
van der Merwe carried him over the line in the 15th minute.
Potgieter then scored the try of the match as he burst clear
rom the halfway line and held off the cover defence to score
the bonus point try.
Replacement scrumhalf Jano Vermaak sniped over from a
ruck in the 66th minute, before flank CJ Stander, who chased
turnover ball well all evening, scored from a rolling maul six
minutes later.
Replacement flyhalf Louis Fouche’s conversion put the Bulls’
score past the half-century mark and the substitutes continued
to tear into the Reds, with centre JJ Engelbrecht and fullback
Bjorn Basson scoring tries in the last five minutes.
Continued…
