Super 14 wrap: Round 6
2006-03-18 23:22
Cape Town - South African rugby supporters celebrated two wins and felt robbed of a third in Round 6 of the Super 14 series.
Thousands of Bulls fans left Loftus Versveld in a rage on Friday night after watching their team fall victim to a poor decision by television match official Linston Manuels.
Manuels ruled no try had been scored after Bulls wing Akona Ndungane chased and fell on top of the ball inside the Hurricanes goal area.
This was eventually the difference between the two teams as the Bulls slumped to a 31-25 defeat.
Referee George Ayob was also not the most popular man in Pretoria after an indifferent display with the whistle.
This disappointing result was, however, partly off set by a gutsy Sharks outfit pulling off the surprise of the round.
The boys from Durban recorded South Africa's first Super 14 victory on Australasian soil with a shock 26-11 win over the Highlanders at Dunedin's "House of Pain".
Former All Black flyhalf Tony Brown tormented his former team with a series of up and unders that troubled the home team all day.
Bosman shows his talent
The South African derby between the Stormers and the Cheetahs at Newlands ended in a 31-25 victory for the visitors.
While everybody in Bloemfontein will be celebrating their team's rise to the sixth on table, Springbok coach Jake White will be the one with the biggest smile on his face tonight.
His rookie Bok flyhalf - Meyer Bosman - produced a polished display to finally showcase the talent that saw White select the 19-year-old for his end of season European tour after just a handful of Currie Cup games for the Cheetahs.
Bosman kicked eight penalties and a conversion.
South Africa's strugglers - the Cats - once again slumped to an inevitable defeat.
Blues wake up
Their punishment was handed out by the Crusaders as last year's Super 12 champions scored three converted tries in the final 15 minutes to round off a comfortable 43-15 victory.
The Blues finally awoke from their slumber with a 26-15 victory over the Brumbies at Eden Park in Auckland.
Both teams were guilty of silly mistakes, but it was the Blues who made of the best use of their chances.
The Western Force left Round 6 still searching for their maiden victory.
The brute force of Wallaby wing Wendell Sailor, who returned to the side after serving his ban for his fracas at a Cape Town nightclub last month, proved the difference between the two sides as his two-try burst saw the visitors round off a 32-7 victory at Subaico Oval.
Crusaders 43 - 15 Cats
Western Force 7 - 32 Waratahs
Bulls 23 - 26 Hurricanes
Blues 26 - 15 Brumbies
Highlanders 11 - 26 Sharks
- SAPA