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Hurricanes halfback Piri Weepu - Source: Photosport -
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Desperate defence wasn't enough for the Hurricanes, whose Super
14 campaign took another blow with a tight 19-18 loss to the
competition-leading Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday
morning.
Starved of possession and territory for long periods, the
Hurricanes somehow scored two tries to one but a high error count
eventually saw them succumb to the kicking of Bulls super-boot
Morne Steyn.
Up 18-10 with half an hour remaining, the visitors were overwhelmed
up front by the big-mauling hosts and first five-eighth Steyn was
the beneficiary with three penalties which took his pointscoring
haul beyond 100 points in five games this season.
While the Bulls improve their record to five from five the
Hurricanes slump to three from six, having completed their tour of
South Africa with three successive defeats.
Saturday's performance was their best, particularly in the first
quarter when they opened up a 12-0 lead courtesy of tries to
forwards Karl Lowe and Jeremy Thrush.
However, the inability of their new-look back three to handle the
inevitable Bulls' aerial bombardment kept them pinned inside their
own half for long periods. Fullback Andre Taylor and winger
Alapati
Leiua routinely spilled high kicks while the Hurricanes' own
general kicking game lacked the accuracy of Steyn and halfback
Fourie du Preez.
The Bulls' imposing mauling game dominated the second half, with
the Hurricanes pack struggling to adapt to the interpretations of
referee Steve Walsh. That resulted in a 60th minute yellow card to
flanker Victor Vito for persistent offending and Steyn put his side
ahead for the first time soon afterwards.
Victory was a relief for Bulls captain Victor Matfield, playing his
100th Super match for the defending champions.
Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper opted to overhaul his side, including
the benching of veteran halfback Piri Weepu, and it paid early
dividends with some bright attacking work.
After soaking up ample Bulls pressure, the visitors struck back
with a slick try to flanker Lowe in the right corner after the ball
went through seven sets of hands.
Lock Thrush barrelled over soon afterwards after a quick tap by
second five-eighth Ma'a Nonu.
The persistent defence that defied the Bulls for much of the night
was cracked on the half hour when fullback Zane Kirchner cut back
against a stretched line to score.
Goalkicking dominated the remainder of the match, with Steyn and
opposite Willie Ripia trading penalties either side of the 15-10
halftime lead to the Hurricanes.
It was the 15th successive victory for the Bulls at Loftus
Versfeld, which they now leave for an Australasian tour starting
against the Western Force in Perth.
The Hurricanes return home to face the Sharks next weekend.
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