Currie Cup result: Pumas survive Bulls comeback
· Citizen
The Pumas boosted their Currie Cup playoff hopes with a narrow bonus-point win against the Bulls XV at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Coach Jimmy Stonehouse’s team raced into a 19-point lead only to fall behind early in the second half before regaining their composure to triumph 33-31 in a game that produced five yellow cards and a red.
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The Pumas moved up to third on the log, while the winless Bulls remain at the bottom.
The vistors started the match strongly, with wave after wave of attack resulting in a try for winger Alfondso Isaacs.
Big blow
The Bulls then suffered a big blow when flank Abongile Nonkontwana saw yellow for a shoulder tackle – later upgraded to red – and Pumas captain Willie Engelbrecht and lock JJ Scheepers barged over while he was off to make it 19-0 after 21 minutes.
The 14-man Bulls got on the board when Isaacs tackled a probable Bulls’ try-scorer without the ball and were awarded a penalty try, with the Pumas winger sin-binned.
But the hosts then went down to 12 when hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele and replacement loose forward Cephas van Biljon were yellow-carded for cynical breakdown infringements.
To the Bulls’ credit, they repelled the Pumas’ relentless attack and then scored a try through lock Johnathan Eloff with the clock in the red to reduce the deficit to five at the break.
With both teams restored to 15, the Bulls hit the front early in the second half when Mnebelele went over under the posts for a converted try.
But another yellow soon followed, this time flashed at Pumas flank Ntsika Fisanti for a shoulder tackle. That didn’t prevent the visitors from striking back, though, replacement hooker Jan-Henning Campher rumbling over from a lineout maul.
Bulls replacement prop Sandi Msengana levelled the scores at 26-26, only for lock Sintu Manjezi to be sin-binned for collapsing a maul and Campher to score his second.
The Bulls hit straight back through fullback Hakeem Kunene, but the try was scored in the corner and Johannes’ conversion went wide.
In round five of the Currie Cup, the Pumas host the Stormers XXIII while the Bulls welcome the Cheetahs to Loftus.
BULLS XV – Try: Penalty try, Johnathan Eloff, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Sandi Msengana, Hakeem Kunene. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (3).
PUMAS – Tries: Alfondso Isaacs, Willie Engelbrecht, JJ Scheepers, Jan-Henning Campher (2). Conversions: Nevaldo Fleurs (4).
This story was first published on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.