The Bulls Super Rugby team reached a new low when a 14-man Brumbies side beat them 38-28 in Pretoria. The Bulls led 25-24 when Brumbies hooker Folau Faingaa received a red card for foul play with about 20 minutes left.
The Brumbies, however, managed to score two tries after that to win the game. Handre Pollard opened the scoring for the Bulls when he beat two defenders to score and convert the try.
But all South African teams’ defensive efforts this season have been shocking and from the following kick-off the Brumbies scored a try of their own.
The home-side enjoyed possession and territory but failed to make the most of it. The red card incident happened just after 60 minutes into the game when Faingaa made head contact with a Bulls player.
Last week, the Brumbies lost against the Lions after also receiving a red card and it seems like they’re getting used to playing with just fourteen men. The result also means that the Lions will be the only South African team in a play-off spot after the weekend’s matches.
Meanwhile, in Waikato New Zealand, the Chiefs beat visiting Australians, the Waratahs 39-27. The Waratahs scored the first two tries of the game but the Chiefs made them pay for some ordinary mistakes to narrow the gap.
The home side then took control of the game although the Waratahs were in touching distance until the end when the Chiefs wrapped up the game. And it was another New Zealand victory over an Australian side when the Highlanders beat the Reds 18-15 in Brisbane Australia.
The victories for the Highlanders and Chiefs kept them in the top eight on the overall Super Rugby log and in a play-off spot.
