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PRETORIA, South Africa : The Northern Bulls powered their way to the top of the Super 14 southern hemisphere championship table with a 50-35 win over the Otago Highlanders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The result was never in doubt after the Bulls scored three converted tries within six minutes early in the first half. It took them just 24 minutes to wrap up a bonus point for scoring four tries.
The Pretoria side opened a two-point lead at the top of the table despite having a game in hand on all the other sides in the top half of the table. It was the tenth successive win by the defending champions, going back to last April.
The Bulls gave an awesome display as they notched a fifth try after 30 minutes but were unable to sustain their form in the second half as they lost some of their structure and found themselves up against a tenacious Highlanders team.
"We had a good first half but we were not that good in the second half," admitted Victor Matfield, who captained the Bulls for the 50th time.
"We'll have a look at that and on Monday we'll start working hard again."
It was a tough week for the Highlanders, who went into the match without two of their leading players, No 8 Adam Thomson and fly-half Michael Hobbs, who were suspended for internal disciplinary reasons.
The Highlanders were able to secure a bonus point, with fullback Israel Dagg scoring three of their five tries.
"We were staring down the barrel of a hundred points," admitted Highlanders captain Jamie Mackintosh.
"But we fought back well."
Mackintosh said his team turned the ball over too easily in the first half but had managed to retain possession in the second period.
"Bonus points in South Africa are pretty crucial," he said.
The Highlanders made a promising start when the Bulls fumbled the opening kick-off and the New Zealand team advanced to within five metres of the home side's line.
But the Bulls broke loose and hooker Gary Botha scored in the sixth minute to start an avalanche of tries including a spectacular 80 metre dash by right wing Gerhard van den Heever.
But mistakes crept into the Bulls game as they neglected some of their basic skills in seeking to add to their try tally, allowing the Highlanders to finish strongly.
- AFP /ls
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