Bulls charge past Force
The Bulls made it six wins out of six in this season's Super 14 with a 28-15 victory over Western Force.
Last Updated: 27/03/10 2:24pm
The Bulls made it six wins out of six in this season's Super 14 with a 28-15 victory over injury-hit Western Force at ME Bank Stadium.
The South African reigning champions ran in three tries through Pierre Spies, Morne Steyn and Zane Kirchner but were denied a bonus point by the resistant Force.
Centre James O'Connor booted over all 15 points registered by the New Zealanders, who remain rooted to the foot of the table after the latest defeat.
The opening minutes of the game saw the confident Bulls camped inside the Force 22, determined to make an early statement as they searched for any defensive weaknesses.
In the ninth minute, South Africa number eight Spies spun around a Force tackle to cross on the tenth phase as the two-time Super Rugby champs went ahead 7-0.
Remarkable
It was a credit to the Force defence that the margin didn't blow out any further, as they repelled a steady stream of sustained Bulls attacks.
When the Force finally got their hands on the ball, they surprised the Bulls with their expansive play and with O'Connor in fine form with the boot, they launched a spirited and unexpected bid for victory.
When O'Connor kicked a penalty from a tight angle after the half-time hooter, the Force led the Bulls 12-10 at the break - a remarkable effort in this top versus bottom clash.
That margin was extended to five points with another O'Connor penalty in the 49th minute, before the Bulls rallied as the Force tired.
Steyn, who finished the game with 18 points, made up for a couple of uncharacteristic penalty misses with a fine solo try to level the scores in the 57th minute and his subsequent conversion put the Bulls in front.
Another Steyn penalty extended the margin to five points, before the Bulls capitalised on the Force being down to 14 men after Cross was sent off, with full-back Kirchner crossing for an easy try to all-but seal the result.
Springbok fly-half Steyn then finished the job by slotting over another penalty.
