The Western Force team arrives in SA with a tough task ahead of them.
In order to keep their hopes of a first ever play-off spot alive they will also have to be the first team to beat the Bulls at Loftus in 2009.
The two sides have met three times and the Force have been victorious on the last two occasions. The Bulls will want to do something about that.
Expect a tight tussle at lineout time between the two Captains, Nathan Sharpe and Victor Matfield.
Will Matfield remember to kick for poles if his team is trailing by 3 points or will that memory have faded?
Will the return of Richard Brown at number eight work for the Force?
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17:05 Local time.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
ARs: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Daniel Cheever (Australia)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Bulls:
15 Zane Kirchner; 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana; 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez; 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements:
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Pedrie Wannenburg, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 JP Nel
Western Force:
15 Drew Mitchell, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 James O’Connor, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Pek Cowan
Replacements:
16 Ben Whittaker, 17 AJ Whalley, 18 Gareth Hardy, 19 Tom Hockings, 20 Tamaiti Horua, 21 Josh Tatupu, 22 Haig Sare
Tweet
Old BB Harmse will be watching the performance of Stuart Dickinson with interest I am sure.
GO FORCE!! May the Force be with you!
3-0 Bulls…already.
Try Mitchell!!
3-7
Force forwards not doing to badly at the moment. 😕
i hope the chiefs and bulls lose today, to give the sharks a better chance
Habana scythes through the defense.
10-7
@klempie (Comment 7) : Make that 8-7. Steyn missed a sitter.
any update?
@klempie (Comment 7) :
@klempie (Comment 7) :
You are getting caught at least twice a week.
@JarsonX (Comment 9) :
Still 8 – 7 to the Bulls.
26min.
Matfield the Center knocks on in the backline as he tries to pass. 😕
i couldn’t believe it on boots & All on thursday night when Bobby used examples of Matfield playing stand-off as examples of why he must be the Bok lock.
I agree he has to be the lock but NOT for playing Flyhalf and Center. 👿
is it ever a good option to have forwards in the BACKline, imo they are more disruptive than anything else
FdP kicks from the halfway and the ball goes dead.
scrum on the halfway to the Force.
32min
Bulls 8 – 7 Force
Spies nailed for a late shoulder.
Giteau going at goal from just beyond the Bulls 10m line
over
Bulls 8 – 10 Force
35min
@KSA Shark © (Comment 10) : Not my fault our kickers are so shit.
Giteau slots a penalty for Spies hands in the ruck.
8-10. Come on Force!
They are actually competing manfully in all facets at the moment.
@JarsonX (Comment 12) :
I agree and the Sharks’ ones are starting to do the same thing. 😕
Werner Kruger TRY!!!!!!!!
What a load of bullshit! Jaco Pretorius knocks on a ball 2m before the line but it’s still awarded.
@klempie (Comment 16) :
of the three times the teams have met the bulls have only managed one win. Force seem to pick themselves up for this game every year
Conversion Over
Bulls 15 – 10 Force
38min
And tonight it is Giteau who runs Habana down from behind. 😳
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : LOL. 3 games is not a big enough statistical sampling. 😛
@klempie (Comment 19) :
that ball did not go forward when he dropped it. No problem with the try being awarded from my side.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 22) : Slow poke. 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 24) : shut up.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 24) :
Why not? If rassie can say he has no scrum problem then i can use that as sufficient data. 😛
HALF TIME
Bulls 15 – 10 Force
@klempie (Comment 26) :
hey ive got 6 pnts and 5 from 5 on SB this weekend, i hope its all i get 😈 bulls and chiefs Must lose tonight 👿
Kirchner TRY!!!!!!!!!
@JarsonX (Comment 30) : 😆
No converted
Bulls 20 – 10 Force
42min
Staniforth off
Sare on
DG by Steyn misses.
Dummy running Habana taken out, PK Bulls going at goal.
from the 10m line
@JarsonX (Comment 30) : if they do win it will my best weekend ever on SB
Over
Bulls 23 – 10 Force
50min
come on force, no more tries for the bulls at least
Could somebody please give Blaben a P Klap?!?!?!?!??!!?
First he took about 20m to realise Sare was on while constantlyt mention the guy’s name refering to someone on the side.
then q few minutes ago he goes on about the backline shuffle by the Force becasue Shepherd went off, only to take another 2 minutes to realise that none of it actually happened.
TAKE HIS WHISKEY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PK by Steyn
Bulls 26 – 10 Force
54min
Shepherd TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From the sub bench Mr bladen?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 40) : 🙄
Conversion missed
Bulls 26 – 15 Force
56min
15 Phases by the bulls.
this has to be a try soon.
22 Phases and Guthro stretches for the line.
Being refered to the TMO.
The ball touches BEFORE the line but it may actually TOUCH the line.
Waiting
No try.
PK to Bulls for 13 being offside.
Steyn going at goal
Over
Bulls 29 – 15 Force
60min
Handling Errors
Force 10
Bulls 6
come on! Force wake up!
I’m backing the Bulls here – who wants to win because of chance anyway?
danie Roussouw gives a kick from center but it goes dead.
scrum back on the halfway.
@Big Fish (Comment 53) :
I have no problem with a bulls win. (It helps my SB 😉 )
We can sort them in the final week.
Yellow card for Steyn.
68min
Francis on for the bulls.
Not sure who has come off.
Tatupu Try !!!
Right next to the pole.
Conversion over
Bulls 29 – 22 Force
70min
still three tries for each side.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 55) : not the way we’re playing! 🙂
PK Bulls
Francis going at goal
Over!!!
Bulls 32 – 22 Force
73min
@KSA Shark © (Comment 59) : you sure? Thought the Bulls had 4?
@robdylan (Comment 60) : 😛
@robdylan (Comment 60) : i see the negativity bug has gotten to you as well 😉
@robdylan (Comment 63) :
YIP.
Tries: B Habana, Z Kirchner, W Kruger
Dickinson warns matfield that he is now going to panalties for repeated infringements.
@JarsonX (Comment 65) : i got it bad!
trick question: which game thus far has been the sharks best??
Ryan Cross BP TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!
@JarsonX (Comment 69) : blues
@JarsonX (Comment 69) :
if you ask these guys…………. we haven’t played a best game. 😉 😛
Conversion over
Bulls 32 – 29 Force
79min
cross’s 3rd bonus point try of the season. Useless trivia r us 🙂
80min
Hooter goes
Bulls on attack
FK Force
a draw? Would be ok
Cool. Bulls don’t get a BP. That was crucial.
tap and go by the Force.
Knock on.
FULL TIME
Bulls 32 – 29 Force
come on force
ok. Too late. Bulls no bonus. Feels hollow
@KSA Shark © (Comment 72) : thats my point, the blues arent that good this season, although the chiefs and canes games comes close, we need a game thats a runaway with at least 4 tries and 30+ points difference before ill say it was good
yay! For the non bp!
@JarsonX (Comment 82) : that was meant to happen against the Reds and the Cheetahs! 🙂
6 from 6 and 7 and a half points
Log updated
Bulls go 2nd
Force go 9th
@robdylan (Comment 71) : Nah. Chiefs. Travel week and beat them at home.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 86) : sharks go [email protected]robdylan (Comment 84) : and could easily have happend against the highlanders
hehe – for the moment i thought that the altitude was catching up with bulls
@klempie (Comment 87) : lets hope its extremely weak in CT
The Blue bulls beat the leopards in the VC Semi Final.
\
So next weeks final will be Blue bulls v Griquas.