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The Brumbies have gone down to the Bulls, 28-17, in the final leg of their South African tour at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria tonight.
While the visitors created a plethora of opportunities, they were cruelled by a lack of execution in the three-tries-to-two result.
Brumbies captain Stirling Mortlock said his youthful side would learn and move on from tonight’s match.
“It’s a bit of a reflection of where we’re at as a team,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys, particularly our decision makers – our 9, 10 and 12. Our combinations are still very fresh and that takes time to steer a team around, particularly under these new ELV’s. You’ve got to be very quick and sharp to make decisions as you see the opportunities arise.
“From our perspective – as a team – we’re creating a lot of opportunities in attack, it’s more a case of being able to capitalise on that and that takes time. I think ELV’s or no ELV’s, we’re a bit frustrated at where we’re at but as a team we can learn from this experience. Over the last two weeks we’ve played a lot of positive football and have got no pay for it… which is disappointing.”
For the third consecutive week the CA Brumbies conceded an early try to their opposition when outside centre JP Nel found himself in space at the end of the Bulls’ backline after just four minutes.
Flyhalf Morné Steyn extended the lead to 8-0 when he landed a 51-metre penalty goal seven minutes later before the CA Brumbies responded midway through the term. After working their way into the home side’s half, lock Alister Campbell hit a Tyrone Smith pass on a sharp angle before scrambling across the line for his first try of the season at the 20-minute mark.
The try bought a double result for the Canberra side with Bulls fullback Zane Kirchner receiving ten minutes on the sideline for a dangerous tackle on CA Brumbies debutante Afusipa Taumoepeau in the lead-up to the touchdown.
However, it was the Bulls that reveled in the extra space with flanker Wikus van Heerden burrowing across the CA Brumbies’ try line in the 24th minute for a 15-7 lead.
The Bulls lost their second player to a yellow card when hooker Derick Kuün was penalised for a professional foul, gifting Mortlock a 32nd-minute penalty goal.
Steyn attempted to extend his side’s margin by three with a failed drop goal with three minutes remaining in the first half, before he got the desired result and an 18-10 half-time lead with a penalty goal one minute later.
The South Africans struck first after the break when another Steyn penalty goal and a converted Wynand Olivier try extended the score to 28-10 by the 54th minute.
The CA Brumbies appeared set to launch a second-half comeback when flanker George Smith scooted past three Bulls defenders before offloading to replacement Peter Kimlin to score his second try in as many weeks. However, a continued inability to control the ball at vital stages in the final quarter of the match ensured the Bulls would maintain their 28-10 advantage at the final whistle.
The CA Brumbies will return to Australia to take on the Western Force in Perth on Friday, 16 May.
MATCH DETAILS
Bulls 28 (JP Nel, Wikus van Heerden, Wynand Olivier tries; Morné Steyn 2/3 conversions, 3/3 penalty goals, 0/1 drop goal) defeated CA Brumbies 17 (Alister Campbell, Peter Kimlin tries; Stirling Mortlock 2/2 conversions, 1/2 penalty goals) at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
Referee: Steve Walsh (NZ)
Half time: Bulls18-10
Crowd: 19,544
Brumbies
1. Nic Henderson
2. John Ulugia
3. Guy Shepherdson
4. Alister Campbell
5. Mark Chisholm
6. Mitchell Chapman
7. George Smith
8. Stephen Hoiles
9. Joshua Holmes
10. Christian Lealiifano
11. Afusipa Taumoepeau
12. Tyrone Smith
13. Stirling Mortlock (c)
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Mark Gerrard
Reserves
16. Saia Faingaa
17. Ben Alexander
18. Peter Kimlin
19. Adam Wallace-Harrison
20. Julian Salvi
21. Patrick Phibbs
22. Francis Fainifo
Bulls
1. Gurthro Steenkamp
2. Derick Kuün
3. Werner Kruger
4. Bakkies Botha
5. Wilhelm Steenkamp
6. Deon Stegmann
7. Wikus van Heerden
8. Pierre Spies
9. Fourie du Preez (c)
10. Morné Steyn
11. Bryan Habana
12. Wynand Olivier
13. JP Nel
14. Akona Ndungane
15. Zane Kirchner
Reserves
16. Bandise Maku
17. Rayno Gerber
18. Jaco Engels
19. Danie Rossouw
20. Francois Hougaard
21. Burton Francis
22. Pedrie Wannenburg
Yellow Cards:
15. Zane Kirchner (20th minute)
2. Derick Kuün (32nd minute)
Brother Gallagher I hear you 
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