The Bulls have played the Chiefs 20 times in Super Rugby since 1998 and they have won seven matches, drawn two and lost 11.
It gives the Bulls a record of winning 35% of their matches against the Chiefs – regardless of the venue.
- The Chiefs are undefeated in their last five Super Rugby games against the Bulls (W4, D1); though, the Pretorian squad had won their four meetings prior.
- The Bulls have won their last two Super Rugby games on the bounce, keeping their opposition scoreless in the first half each time -they had not previously kept their opposition scoreless in the first half of a game since 2013.
- The Chiefs are now six games without a win in Super Rugby 2019 (D1, L5); only once in the competition’s history has the franchise gone longer without a success (8 games in 2010/11 (D1, L7)).
- The Chiefs have conceded just seven penalties/free-kicks per game in Super Rugby 2019, fewer than any other team in the competition.
- Handre Pollard (Bulls) is the competition’s leading point scorer thus far in Super Rugby 2019 with a tally of 74 points -28 more than any other player.
Match detail
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In the meantime why not have a look at the match preview.
1.00: PEEEEP! we are underway at a sunny Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
3.00: The Chiefs go wide from a scrum inside their half. The ball is booted forward but the Bulls recover. Ivan van Zyl kicks a box-kick, which is lost forward by Sean Wainui. Jesse Kriel recovers the ball and grubbers deep into the opposition’s half.
5.00: Waikato is using a lot of sweeping backline moves involving switches behind the gain line. The Bulls defending is solid, so Damian McKenzie has to kick for territory. It’s a home team scrum, though.
8.00: Nathan Harris wins a penalty at the ruck because Duane Vermeulen, who was isolated, was pinged for holding. McKenzie kicks to the Bulls’ 22.
10.00: Kriel and Ruan Steenkamp are caught offsides from the next series, and it gives McKenzie a shot at goal from in front.
11.00: PENALTY! The fullback puts his side on the board and in the lead. 0-3
13.00: The Bulls go to the back of their first lineout. They are punching their way forward, but the ball is slow. Handré Pollard makes a mini-break before being snared. Mitchell Brown is penalised for not rolling away, so Pollard calls for the tee.
15.00: PENALTY! Pollard levels from close range. 3-3
18.00: Lizo Gqoboka is penalised for not staying square in the scrum. It’s a battle in the tight, one that the Chiefs are leading, narrowly. McKenzie kicks to the corner.
20.00: There’s no advantage for the New Zealanders. Rosko Specman was pinged for not rolling away at the ruck, but he probably saved a certain try by slowing the ball down. Chiefs want a lineout.
21.00: The Bulls survive because the Chiefs squander a good opportunity trying to be too clever. There is a lot going on with the backs. McKenzie throws a wayward forward pass that ends up rolling on the ground. He did that last week, too.
23.00: Another wayward pass, this time from Wainui. Tumua Manu cleans up and kicks a good kick deep into the opposition’s half. Both sides are playing the territorial game.
24.00: The Bulls’ lineout has been solid. The Chiefs win back possession and are on the attack.
25.00: TRY! The Chiefs win the ball after Pollard spills a high kick. They immediately go wide to the outside channel where Solomon Alaimalo found himself alone on the sideline before strolling over for his 11th Super Rugby try. 3-8
27.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie slots the kick. 3-10
29.00: The Bulls are not getting out of their half. The Chiefs are exploiting them with tactical kicks, pinning Pote Human’s side inside their half.
30.00: Handling errors are not helping, either. Steenkamp charges into contact, but he coughs up possession, killing a rare attack.
32.00: TRY! Alex Nankivell dots down under the posts after picking up a bouncing ball inside the Bulls’ 22. The attack came from playmaker extraordinaire McKenzie. 3-15
33.00: CONVERSION! The fullback adds the extras. 3-17
34.00: Brown is penalised for not rolling away at the breakdown after a strong Kriel run. Pollard will take a shot. Vermeulen is leaving the field with a knee injury, which is not good for the hosts.
35.00: PENALTY! Pollard doubles his side’s score. 6-17
36.00: Burger Odendaal punches the ground in frustration after knocking on. The attack came from a strong Bulls’ scrum, but another handling error hurts the three-time Super Rugby champions.
38.00: Marty McKenzie’s grubber is too long, but Trevor Nyakane and Specman were offsides in the build-up. The Chiefs want a scrum. It will be under the posts, 10 metres out.
41.00: TRY! Brodie Retallick crashes over under the posts. The Bulls defence could not stop the continued wave of attacks, eventually, the blue wall is breached. The chiefs are using their ball carriers to great effect; the one-off runners are making metres on the gain line thanks to the quick ball and passing interchanges between backs and forwards. 6-22
42.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie adds the two. 6-24
The halftime score was Bulls 6 Chiefs 24
41.00: PEEEEP! we are back underway in South Africa where the Bulls have it all to do to overturn an 18-point deficit.
42.00: TRY! Fantastic from the Chiefs. They capitalised on a poor Pollard kick and turned on the heat. McKenzie drove forward, held up play and found support to keep the attack going. The ball was recycled quickly and sent to the right where Retallick was waiting. The skipper could not be stopped. 6-29
43.00: CONVERSION! Another two points stretch the visitor’s lead. 6-31
45.00: The Bulls have an opportunity; the Chiefs tried to run the ball from their line but lost possession. The Bulls, from a scrum, went wide. Two Waikato players were offsides, so Pollard kicked to the corner.
48.00: TMO CHECK! Tim Agaba crashes over from close range, however, the referee wants the TMO to check if the number eight got the ball down. It is ruled “held up” and the Bulls get another attacking scrum.
50.00: OH DEAR! The Bulls give away possession cheaply and a chance to get back into the game against a team that has not had a good start to the season.
53.00: MASSIVE HIT! Specman is pumped backwards by a ferocious Nepo Laulala tackle. The Bulls retain possession with a scrum from the following phases.
54.00: Colin Cooper’s men are dominating the breakdown, killing the Human’s side with speed, resulting in turnovers and penalties.
57.00: The Kiwis are in total control, dominating every area of the game. The home team has not pitched up, today.
59.00: Schalk Brits knocks-on going for an intercept on his line. The Chiefs have a chance to put the Bulls away.
60.00: TRY! Brilliant from Damian McKenzie, He stabs a little grubber behind the Bulls backline and Nankivell latches on to the rolling ball for his second try. Game well and truly over! 6-36
61.00: CONVERSION! McKenzie adds the extras. 6-38
62.00: YELLOW CARD! Alaimalo is sent to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle.
63.00: The Bulls cannot capitalise as even the usually superb Brits overthrows the lineout. McKenzie clears.
64.00: TRY! Kriel collects Pollard’s perfect dink-lob and barges over for his side’s first try. 11-38
65.00: CONVERSION! Pollard adds the two points. 13-38
68.00: The game is opening up as both sides start to tire. The Chiefs will be sucking thin air in the final stages because of the altitude. The gaps will appear.
70.00: PENALTY! McKenzie extends the lead. 13-41
73.00: The crowd is in good spirits, singing and dancing despite the abysmal display served up from their team.
74.00: TRY! Retallick is unselfish, he probably could have scored, but instead, he pops a simple offload to Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi for the sixth try of the afternoon. 13-46
75.00: CONVERSION! Another two points to the tally. 13-48
76.00: PENALTY! FIFTY UP! McKenzie brings up the half century. 13-51
78.00: TRY! Odendaal finishes off a wonderful interchanging move between backs and forwards. 18-51
79.00: CONVERSION! Pollard kicks his fourth successful kick. 20-51
80.00: TRY! Alaimalo is next to bring up a double, strolling over for his second after some more quality from Damian McKenzie. 20-56
81.00: MISS! McKenzie hits the post. 20-56
FULL TIME
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Live In-Play Betting.
The final score is Bulls 20 (6) Chiefs 56 (24)
Scorers
Bulls
Tries – Kriel, Odendaal
Pen – Pollard (2)
Con – Pollard (2)
Drop –
Cards –
Chiefs
Tries – Alaimalo (2), Nankivell (2), Retallick (2), Tahuriorangi
Pen – D. McKenzie (3)
Con – D. McKenzie (6)
Drop –
Cards – Alaimalo (Yellow, 62′)
Match Officials
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Assistant Ref 1: Cwengile Jadezweni
Assistant Ref 2: Griffin Colby
TMO: Willie Vos
Teams
Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Hanro Liebenberg, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Dayan van der Westhuyzen, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Dylan Sage.
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Solomon Alaimalo, 10 Jack Debreczeni, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Tyler Ardron, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Mitchell Brown, 4 Brodie Retallick (captain), 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Aidan Ross
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tevita Mafileo, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Michael Allardice, 20 Jesse Parete , 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Ataata Moeakiola.
