The first game of the weekend is one of two table topping clashes to look forward to, which has the Chiefs at home, hosting the Bulls, in a match that will inevitably eliminate one team’s hopes of a home final.
The Chiefs come off a bye weekend and will be fresh against a Bulls team that are playing their fourth tour match. Richard Kahui is injured and will be not play for the rest of the season, with Jackdon Willison taking his place in the team.
The Bulls play their final tour match, and who knows how they will feel after their loss to the Highlanders last weekend. I am sure they will not have the one foot on the plane syndrome, with a win against the Chiefs being important to their title aspirations.
Chiefs: 1. Toby Smith,2. Hika Elliot,3. Ben Afeaki,4. Craig Clarke (c),5. Brodie Retallick ,6. Liam Messam – 90th game,7. Tanerau Latimer,8. Kane Thompson,9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow,10. Aaron Cruden,11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma,12. Sonny Bill Williams,13. Jackson Willison,14. Lelia Masaga ,15. Andrew Horrell
Replacements : 16. Mahonri Schwalger,17. Arizona Taumalolo,18. Michael Fitzgerald,19. Sam Cane,20. Brendon Leonard,21. Robbie Robinson,22. Maritino Nemani
Bulls: Zane Kirchner , Akona Ndungane , Johann Sadie , Wynand Olivier, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard , Pierre Spies (c), CJ Stander , Dewald Potgieter , Wilhelm Steenkamp, Flip van der Merwe , Werner Kruger ,Chiliboy Ralepelle , Dean Greyling .
Replacements: Willie Wepener, Rayno Gerber, Juandre Kruger, Arno Botha, Jano Vermaak , Louis Fouche , JJ Engelbrecht.
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Assistant Ref 1:Bryce Lawrence
Assistant Ref 2:Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri
TMO : Nick Briant
Go Chiefs
Go Chiefs!
It’s going to be a great game, and any result is good for the Sharks, because one of the top teams will lose out on points.
No Bonus points though.
And a loss for the Bulls!
I don’t care if the Chiefs ends first. I’d prefer if by the time we play the Bulls a win for us would mean we leap frog them on the log.
@Letgo (Comment 3) : axzacetaly… GO CHIEFS!!!
Hardly one minute into the game and the pink cows are having a scuffle.
Pink socks and yellow boots – only from Pretoria
Bulls take the early lead through Steyn
Chiefs 0 – 3 Bulls
10 minutes
Chiefs on the board with a pk – Cruden
Chiefs 3 – 3 Bulls
16 mins
Morne Steyn drop goal.
Chiefs 3 – 6 Bulls
23 mins
Chiefs try – Andrew Horrell
Akona fluffed the ball and cost the Bulls a try.
Conversion missed – Cruden
Chiefs 8 – 6 Bulls
25 mins
Chiefs!!!
Come on Chiefs!
Bulls pk – Steyn
Chiefs 8 – 9 Bulls
35 mins
Kudos to Marshall for getting Hougaard’s name right.
Bulls into 22.
Basson scores on the left.
Bulls try – Basson
Poor defense!
Steyn converts.
HT Chiefs 8 – 16 Bulls
Try converted – Steyn
Chiefs 8 – 16 Bulls
Half Time
Come on Chiefs you useless buggers!
Useless Chiefs
Bad news: Chiefs are leading
Good news: 1 FL try, a conversion, two penalties and a drop goal
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : you mean Bulls are leading?
Bulls starting off well again.
Bulls straight onto attack, into the Chiefs’ 22.
The Chiefs are really nowhere. Is this really the top NZ side??
Chiefs make a steal 5m from their line and clear it.
Bulls lineout on their own 22. Chilly throws it scew!
Chilli screws up a lineout throw on his own 22.
Bulls have a penalty.
Cruden slots it.
Chiefs 11 – 16 Bulls
46 mins
Chiefs penalty kick – Cruden
Chiefs 11 – 16 Bulls
47 mins
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 24) : Good news: No LMS stress (dead) Bad news: I wont win anything
Bulls pack killing the Chiefs in the maul…
Penalty Bulls.
@klempie (Comment 33) : @Ben (Comment 34) : Which is it? 46 or 47
@JarsonX (Comment 35) :
Hahaha.. I’ve been stress free for so long in LMS, I’ve forgotten what it feels like!
Bulls pk – Steyn
Chiefs 11 – 19 Bulls
50 mins
Come on Chiefs.. you can do this!
I hate it when two of my FL flyhalves go up against each other..
@JarsonX (Comment 38) : Ask yourself this. Who is your goto man for accurate and timely commentary?
@klempie (Comment 42) :
So it’s 47 then?
Steyn puts it over.
Chiefs 11 – 19 Bulls
49 mins
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 43) : I think we’ll let the fans decide.
@klempie (Comment 42) : Seiko?
Cruden going for poles.
Chiefs pk – Cruden
Chiefs 14 – 19 Bulls
53 mins
Through.
Chiefs 14 – 19 Bulls
52 mins
Come on Chiefs!
Chiefs scrum. 5m out
Chiefs 5m scrum.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 43) :
Penalty Chiefs.
They’re going for a 7m scrum.
Scrum reset.
TRY CHIEFS!!!!
Great try off set piece.
Chiefs try scored by Asaeli Tikoirotuma
that was a superb move…
Absolute beauty
Cruden converts
Chiefs 21 – 19 Bulls
59 mins
Come on my boytjies we need to put the bulls away
Bulls pk – Steyn
Chiefs 21 – 22 Bulls
63 mins
@JarsonX (Comment 38) : 65
Steyn scuffs a drop goal!
Not watching what’s happening,hope Taumalolo hasn’t scored a try
come on we need to gat some ball ffs
Bulls in Chiefs 22.
van der Merwe spills it.
Love watching Flip fail!
Dunno about you guys but I’m really looking forward to Boks v ABs this year.
Chiefs try – Sam Cane
Man, these guys know how to create space and run lines.
Great stuff from SBW!
Chiefs have a lineout in Bulls territory. They take a quick one and it ends with Cane is under the posts!!
surely that try must seal it for the Chiefs?
What a great game!
Try converted – Cruden
Chiefs 28 – 22 Bulls
70 mins
Cruden converts.
Chiefs 28 – 22 Bulls
69 mins
@klempie (Comment 76) : jeez, but these Chiefs boys play some lovely rugby. I wonder if Dave Rennie likes the coast…
yes please , just one more, come on chiefs
Bulls have a lineout in Chiefs 22.
oh man… and that was so tame. Advantage back with the Bulls…
@robdylan (Comment 80) : That was a great gap indeed.
Bulls inside the Chiefs 22.
Bulls pick and go in the Chiefs 22.
Chiefs steal it!! YES!!
And then kick it down Kirchner’s throat.
Geez…Hougaard must be seeing tweety birds.
is it wrong of me to want the Chiefs to get 3 more points?
@robdylan (Comment 89) : NO!!
Lol the Bulls are lame!
The Bulls have it again in Chiefs territory.
Bulls very slack at the breakdowns.
Up and under bounces off a Bull into touch.
Ah….it’s moot. The Chiefs get a penalty for Bull not retreating. Cruden puts it deep into Bulls 22.
75 mins
Chiefs have a lineout inside Bulls 22..
@Ben (Comment 95) : They throw it away. Bulls have the ball and kick it away..
Bulls win the lineout.
@robdylan (Comment 89) : Not at all, I hope for the same
76 mins
Knockon Bulls in their own half.
Bulls look rattled.
Score?
Force a scrum penalty Chiefs!
Bulls knock deep inside their own half. 3 mins left..
77 mins
Bulls win a penalty from the scrum.
Bulls penalty for scrum infringement. Steyn sets up a lineout 16m inside Chiefs territory.
1 min left. Bulls 30m out.
79 mins
FULL TIME
Chiefs 28 – 22 Bulls
Hooter goes. And the Chiefs win the ball!
CHIEFS WIN!!!
Sweeeeeet!
Chiefs win 28-22
Now Sharks…bonus point win against the Stormers please!
Weekend starting good. A win and margin point for me
Spies is literally steaming…
Well, as good as a win for the Chiefs is for the Sharks, I cant really bring myself to be happy that a kiwi team beat a South African team.
So Chiefs looking to end on the top of the log with 69 – according to Letgo’s predictions.
Means Stormers need to win both Sharks and Bulls games to top the log at the end.
This win for the Chiefs makes tomorrow’s game less of a must-win for the Stormers; hope that plays into our hands…
@Culling Song (Comment 120) : Less of a must-win if the Stormers only aim to top the SA conference, that is…
assuming we win against the Stormers and Lions, we’ll be second on the SA log after next weekend.
@Culling Song (Comment 120) : Surely the Stormers would want to end top of the log – makes the final so much easier
Less pressure to top SA conf, more pressure to top the log
@robdylan (Comment 122) :
This opens the door for the Sharks to, potentially, without counting chickens before they hatch, to finish as the top SA team..
how many games did the sharks win on tour?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 124) : Yeh but we’d need the Brumbies to go down to the Reds to finish 2nd on the overall log. Think we have to concede top spot to the Chiefs.
@Megatron (Comment 125) : the same number as the Bulls
@Megatron (Comment 125) : 2.
@Megatron (Comment 125) : Bulls got 12 points and Sharks 11 if you’re looking for a stick to beat the Sharks with.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 124) : Thats counting chickens… if the sharks win this weekend, then we can talk
Would have been lovely if the Chiefs could have denied the Bulls a bonus point.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 130) :
I clearly said it opens the door..
Not stating that we will actually walk through said door..
@robdylan (Comment 127) : @Ben (Comment 128) : so the stormers did better…ok
Think I might go watch the game tomorrow.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 132) : Touche! The door has been opened, but have the Sharks got the claspers to step over the threshold. On another matter, am I the only one who is a bit perturbed that everyone is celebrating a kiwi win so much??
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 135) : Come on dude…it’s the Bulls.
@klempie (Comment 129) :5 points Blues, 5 Brumbies, 1 Waratahs, 0 Saders? That is 11?
@klempie (Comment 129) : calm down, no sticks required
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 135) : claspers! lololol
@Megatron (Comment 133) : yes – good for them
@Bokhoring (Comment 137) : Last time I checked, yeh.
@klempie (Comment 136) : Well, yes, true, but they also grew up watching Liewe Heksie and Willie Wallie, so doesnt that count for something??
@klempie (Comment 141) : I thought I saw you have Sharks 12 initially?
Bulls also got 11 – 5 Rebels, 4 Tahs, 1 Landers, 1 Chiefs
@Bokhoring (Comment 137) : No 0 Canes. We didn’t play the Crusaders and we aren’t playing them this year. Except in the playoffs maybe.
@Ben (Comment 145) : I meant zip for the Canes blowout. I still cant figure out what went wrong in that game
@Bokhoring (Comment 143) : Yeh. I was talking and typing at the same time and my brain switched into programmer increment mode and I added one to each number. I changed it like 10 seconds later so you must have refreshed in that tiny window.
@Bokhoring (Comment 144) : Oh ok.
@klempie (Comment 147) : No worries – I do that all the time
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 142) : Claspers => Liewe Heksie…you’ve lost me…or disturbed me.
Well done Chiefs! VERY HAPPY the Bulls LOST!
@klempie (Comment 150) : I didnt suggest the claspers should be used on Liewe Heksie.. Im not that sick
@Ben (Comment 151) : I’m not exactly happy that they lost… I’m happy in that it benefited the Sharks. Does that make sense?
what the hell are claspers?
@robdylan (Comment 154) : A shark’s ‘intimate’ bits…
@robdylan (Comment 153) : It does.
I’m always happy when the Bulls lose except when a Bulls win could benefit the Sharks. Plus I’m stirring!
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 152) : Yeh I know. But I still fail on the connection. Care to elucidate?
@Ben (Comment 156) : I’m with you buddy.
@Ben (Comment 156) : Thats just unpatriotic. Report directly to camp Staaldraad for reconditioning. You will have to do community service too, which includes watching every episode of Sewende Laan and listening to 100 hours of Steve Hofmeyer.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 142) : Yeah it does, but then they started drinking Klipdrift when they were 14 years old.
@robdylan (Comment 140) : watch the Kings bliksem alles next year
@klempie (Comment 157) : There wasnt a connection between Liewe Heksie and claspers!! The Claspers was a reference to whether the sharks had it in them to win, the Liewe Heksie reference was to show that we all grew up in the same land (By us I mean South African humans and Bulls supporters) and so should feel a stronger affiliation to the Bulls than the Chiefs.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 159) : It’s “Kamp Staaldraad”. Unpatriotic much?
@robdylan (Comment 154) : And you call yourself a Sharks supporter!!! Next you will be telling us you dont know what the ampullae of Lorenzini are!
@Ben (Comment 163) : Oh shite, true. I shall punish myself by watching a Leon Schuster movie. It wont happen again.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 165) : That’s not punishment. His pranking movies are actually good.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 159) : You are on form today old chap.
@Ben (Comment 166) : Agree to disagree. I enjoyed his movies when I was young, but when I hit 13 I realised I was too old for his humour.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 162) : Ohhhhhhhhhhhh…..sorry…I read the two separate replies as one.
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 164) : heheheheheeeee
@klempie (Comment 169) : No worries. Ive been rambling anyway, so it would have saved you time.
@klempie (Comment 170) : @Pablo Dinero (Comment 171) :
Talking shi!t again I see.
@Ben (Comment 156) : We`ll get along swimmingly . .