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Preview: Bulls v Hurricanes
Sportal.co.nz - (18/03/2010)
Coach Colin Cooper has taken a big punt on selection changes to lift their Hurricane out of their inertia but the Bulls are playing so well it is an even tougher prospect for the Wellington-based side.
HEAD TO HEAD: Played 14 – Northern Transvaal/Bulls 6, Hurricanes 8.
LAST TIME: March 20, 2009 (Wellington) – Hurricanes 14-19 Bulls.
LAST TIME AT VENUE: April 12, 2008 – Bulls 22-50 Hurricanes.
WALKING WOUNDED: The Bulls field an almost unchanged side, with Deon Stegmann moving back into the starting XV ahead of Derrick Kuun the one difference from a week ago. Ma'a Nonu was cited for a reckless tackle (again) last week, but again dodged the bullet and is okay to play this week. In worse news for the Hurricanes, Corey Jane is definitely out of this match and on the bank indefinitely after being KO'd trying to stop Sireli Naqelevuki last week; there was no early call on how long he's likely to be missing.
FORM:
PAST FIVE Bulls:
Round 1: Beat Cheetahs 51-34
Round 2: Beat Brumbies 50-32
Round 3: Beat Waratahs 48-38
Round 4: Bye
Round 5: Beat Highlanders 50-35
PAST FIVE Hurricanes:
Round 1: Beat Blues 34-20
Round 2: Beat Force 47-22
Round 3: Beat Lions 33-18
Round 4: Lost to Cheetahs 12-28
Round 5: Lost to Stormers 13-37
The Bulls are a perfect 20 from 20 on the competition ladder and have played rugby worthy of both that place and their standing as the team to beat in 2010. Okay, every opponent has scored somewhere in the 30s, but that's not a lot of help when the Bulls have scored between 48 and 51 each outing. The second half has been their killing ground, when they have simply cranked the pace up to a level opponents cannot match. Allied to their competition-leading 24 tries (always a good indicator that a team is championship material) the Bulls boast an amazing 92 percent success rate off the tee. One would be hard-pressed to find a real weakness in the side at present, apart from some holes in the midfield defence. The Hurricanes have slipped a long way off their early pace although they didn't play any real title contenders in the early weeks. That said, the Cheetahs aren't one either and they won easily enough, while the Stormers looked a team from a different league last weekend. The Hurricanes were progressively dismantled by a stronger opponent and only a try on the game's last play enabled the New Zealanders to crack double figures. There was not a single area the Stormers did not dominate – not a good rehearsal for a meeting with the red-hot defending champs.
WHO'S HOT: Trying to pick out the best Bulls performers is a tough task at present because they're all playing so well. Morne Steyn is an obvious candidate with his magnificent kicking and excellent general play, while Gary Botha and Pierre Spies are lifting the bar among an outstanding pack. Skipper Victor Matfield, who plays his 100th Super rugby match this week, is still at the top of his form. The only newcomer with a regular starting spot, winger Gerhard van der Heever, is showing plenty of pace and finishing ability as he is quickly developing into a good Super 14 player. The Hurricanes are getting good attacking service from David Smith on the wing – he is tied at the top of the try-scoring list but on the bench this week – but they must demand more from a high-profile backline. Willie Ripia has to step up and exert more control but needs the forwards to win some decent ball, and here pressure goes on the tight five. If the big men can’t foot it with the home pack, they're in for a very long afternoon; look for Jeremy Thrush and Neemia Tialata as barometers of the Hurricanes performance. If they're prominent, especially at set piece, the visitors are travelling well; if they're being dominated, the Bulls are on the way to another win.
WE THINK: Any result other than a big Bulls victory would be a major shock, and we're not expecting a jolt this week. The Bulls are simply too good at the moment and will find enough to post another score around 50 unless things go horribly wrong, a mark that would necessarily mean another bonus point as well.
TEAMS:
Bulls: 1.Gurthro Steenkamp, 2.Gary Botha, 3.Werner Kruger, 4.Danie Rossouw, 5.Victor Matfield (captain), 6.Deon Stegmann, 7.Dewald Potgieter, 8.Pierre Spies, 9.Fourie du Preez, 10.Morne Steyn, 11.Francois Hougaard, 12.Wynand Olivier, 13. Stephen Dippenaar, 14.Gerhard van der Heever, 15.Zane Kirchner.
Reserves: 16.Bandise Maku, 17.Bees Roux or Rossouw de Klerk, 18.Flip van der Merwe, 19.Derrick Kuun, 20. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 21.Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 22. Pedrie Wannenburg.
Hurricanes: 1.John Schwalger, 2.Andrew Hore (capt), 3.Neemia Tialata, 4.Jeremy Thrush, 5.Michael Paterson, 6.Victor Vito, 7.Karl Lowe, 8.Rodney So'oialo, 9.Tyson Keats, 10.Willie Ripia, 11.Alipati Leiua, 12.Ma'a Nonu, 13.Conrad Smith, 14.Tamati Ellison, 15.Andre Taylor.
Replacements: 16.Dane Coles, 17.Jacob Ellison, 18.Bryn Evans, 19.Nick Crosswell, 20.Piri Weepu, 21.Aaron Cruden, 22.David Smith.
REFEREE: Nathan Pearce (Australia)
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