The Northern Bulls ripped apart the form book as they scored their first win of the season with an upset 21-12 victory over the previously unbeaten Wellington Hurricanes in New Zealand on Saturday.
There were two tries apiece but the difference was with the intensity of the Bulls’ defence. They withstood a barrage of attacks from a Hurricanes side hoping to impress their home crowd for the first time after winning three on the road.
”We felt we were up to it but obviously we weren’t,” a dejected Hurricanes captain Tana Umaga said. ”They wanted it more than us. They played more together and stuck to their game plan.”
The Bulls had problems at lineout time but the Hurricanes squandered the gifted ball with excessive turnovers.
After a scoreless first quarter, Bulls flyhalf Derick Hougaard broke the scoring drought with a field goal following a strong run from Akhona Ndungane, which put the Bulls in an attacking position.
Hougaard added two penalties to give the Bulls a 9-0 lead at half-time.
The Hurricanes came out fired up in the second half and pressured the Bulls’ line for 15 minutes but could not buckle the visitors’ cast-iron defence.
Chances went begging despite the Hurricanes claiming two lineouts against the throw, and Riki Flutey being forced out in the corner.
After withstanding the barrage, the Bulls’ first foray in Hurricanes territory in the second half saw Fourie du Preez break down the left side and feed Ndungane for the first try of the match.
In the 62nd minute, the Hurricanes put their first points on the board when Ma’a Nonu fed Hosea Gear, who broke through Anton Leonard’s tackle to score.
The Bulls responded immediately, with Etienne Botha ripping the ball off Jimmy Gopperth and scoring close to the posts for Kennedy Tsimba to convert.
Joe McDonnell barged over in the 69th minute for a try, converted by Gopperth, but it appeared to drain the Hurricanes’ tank and the Bulls spent the final 10 minutes comfortably defending their 21-12 lead. — Sapa-AFP