Bulls stage remarkable fight back to wound Jaguares and open door for Lions

Sport360 staff 19:16 08/07/2018
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  • Warrick Gelant of the Bulls tries to get a pass away

    The Bulls dealt the Jaguares their first defeat in three months when they staged a remarkable comeback to beat the high-flying Argentineans by 43-34 in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon, while the Stormers finished their season on a winning note with a 27-16 triumph over the Sharks in Cape Town.

    The men from Pretoria did their neighbours, the Lions, a huge favour by preventing the Jaguares from even collecting a bonus point and in doing so, they opened the way for the Johannesburg franchise to possibly win the SA Conference.

    The Lions were not in action this weekend and they now know the destiny of first place on the SA log, and with that home advantage in the playoffs, are entirely in their own hands when they host the Bulls next weekend.

    A bonus-point win for Swys de Bruin’s team over their neighbours across the Jukskei River will secure top spot on the SA Conference table, irrespective of the result in Durban between the Sharks and the Jaguares.

    Although the Cape Town result was obviously bad news for the Sharks, the Durbanites still have an outside chance of reaching the playoffs, thanks to the Bulls’ victory in Pretoria.

    It means they must now beat the Jaguares in Durban next weekend – preferably with a bonus point – and hope that the Rebels lose to the Highlanders in New Zealand, to grab the last playoff spot.

    On Saturday, the Stormers led the Sharks 21-9 at halftime thanks to tries from Cobus Wiese, EW Viljoen and Raymond Rhule, while Robert du Preez slotted three penalties for the visitors.

    Although the Durbanites made an enthusiastic start to the second half, they could not do enough to wrestle the result away from the Cape side.

    The Bulls staged a heroic comeback to wipe out a 19-point deficit in their impressive 43-34 triumph over the Jaguares in Pretoria.

    The result allowed John Mitchell’s team to snap a three-match losing run while also ending the Jaguares’ impressive run of seven wins in a row. The win also prevented the Jaguares from overtaking the Lions at the top of the SA Conference.

    It was the visitors who made a dream start by scoring two tries in five minutes and then raced into a 19-0 lead before the Pretoria side kicked into gear, with tries from Johnny Kotze, Embrose Papier and Jesse Kriel allowing them to overturn their deficit into a two-point lead at halftime (21-19).

    Marco van Staden goes over

    Marco van Staden goes over

    The Argentine side refused to give up and scored again after the break, however, the Bulls finally raced away thanks to tries from Jamba Ulengo (2) and Marco van Staden.

    With one week to go before the final places for the playoffs are determined, here’s a brief look at the top 10 places on the overall log:

    1. Crusaders: 58 points
    2. Waratahs: 48 points (+121, 70 Tries, +17 differential)
    3. Lions: 41 points (+58, 71 Tries, +18 differential)
    4. Hurricanes: 50 points (+135, 62 Tries, +23 differential)
    5. Chiefs: 45 points (+91, 56 Tries, +12 differential)
    6. Highlanders: 40 points (-14, 53 Tries, 0 differential)
    7. Jaguares: 38 points (+1, 50 Tries, -3 differential)
    8. Rebels: 35 points (-15, 53 Tries, -1 differential)
    9. Sharks: 32 points (-15, 47 Tries, -9 differential)
    10. Brumbies: 30 points (-38, 50 Tries, +2 differential)

    For the full standings click HERE

    Results and scorers from Round 18:

    Stormers 27 (21), Sharks 16 (9)

    Stormers – Tries: Cobus Wiese, EW Viljoen, Raymond Rhule. Conversions: Josh Stander (3). Penalty goals: Stander (2).

    Sharks – Try: Kobus van Wyk. Conversion: Robert du Preez. Penalty goals: Du Preez (3).

    Bulls 43 (21), Jaguares 34 (19)

    Bulls – Tries: Johnny Kotze, Embrose Papier, Jesse Kriel, Jamba Ulengo (2), Marco van Staden. Conversions: Handré Pollard (5). Penalty goal: Pollard.

    Jaguares – Tries: Nicolas Sanchez, Pablo Matera (2), Gonzalo Bertranou (2). Conversions: Sanchez (3). Penalty goal: Emiliano Boffelli.

    Other Round 18 results:

    Friday, July 6:

    Crusaders 45, Highlanders 22

    Reds 37, Rebels 24

    Saturday, July 7:

    Chiefs 24, Brumbies 19

    Hurricanes 42, Blues 24

    Waratahs 77, Sunwolves 25

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