BULLS vs HURRICANES
Super 12
Friday, May 12, 2000
Minolta Loftus, Pretoria, kick-off 7.10pm
TV - Live on Supersport (7pm)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Aus)
Touch judges: Andrew Cole (Aus), Andy Turner (SA)
Video referee: Marius Frankin (SA)
BULLS
vs HURRICANES - vital statistics
WEATHER FORECAST
Partly cloudy and cool.
Maximum temperature - 19deg C. Minimum temperature - 7deg C.
T O T A L M E E T I N G S
I N S U P E R 1 2
|
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
PF |
PA |
TF |
TA |
BULLS |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
37 |
74 |
8 |
5 |
TF
– tries for TA – tries against |
As
most other teams facing the Bulls, the Hurricanes have a very good record
against the South Africans. They have won the last three encounters -
quite convincingly, while only losing the first match in 1996.
In the last two years, the scoreline has been almost identical - the New
Zealanders winning 37-19 in Pretoria in 1998 and 37-18 in Wellington in
1999. Christian Cullen has really come into his own in these encounters
- scoring three tries in the 160 minutes. The Bulls will have to do a
better job in stopping him than the Stormers did last week when the All
Black scored two tries.
S
U P E R 1 2 R E C O R D
|
27 |
April |
1996 |
Northern
Transvaal |
38 |
Wellington
Hurricanes |
20 |
Pretoria |
16 |
March |
1997 |
Wellington
Hurricanes |
64 |
Northern
Transvaal |
32 |
New
Plymouth |
6 |
March |
1998 |
Northern
Bulls |
19 |
Wellington
Hurricanes |
37 |
Pretoria |
13 |
March |
1999 |
Wellington
Hurricanes |
37 |
Northern
Bulls |
18 |
Wellington |
In 1997, the
Bulls suffered one of their infamous defeats when they went down 64-32
to the Hurricanes in New Plymouth. All Black winger Tana Umaga scored
a hat trick that day, while the now Scottish flank Martin Leslie (2),
"Bull" Allen, Norm Hewitt and Finau Maka completed the rout.
The Bulls can consider themselves lucky that the All Black wing won't
be here to haunt them this year. He has already scored five tries in four
meetings against them, while the suspended Jonah Lomu's record isn't too
bad either. At least the South Africans can focus all their efforts on
stopping the dangerous Cullen.
Danie van
Schalkwyk vs Alama Ieremia
If
the Bulls are to have a chance of beating the Hurricanes on Friday, they
will have to stop All Black centre Alama Ieremia of repeating his line-breaking
feats of the previous week. He was a constant threat to the Stormers -
his two breaks resulting in Cullen's tries.
The man who will be assigned to stop him is Danie van Schalkwyk, the former
Springbok who only recently returned from injury. As Krynauw Otto pointed
out, it was the blonde centre's early tackles that sparked them into action
against the Highlanders.
He will need to repeat that heroics if the Bulls are to have a chance
of helping the Stormers and Cats through to the semifinals
|