The Bulls were definitely the favourites going into the Super 14 final at Loftus on Saturday, but few could have foreseen the rampage that ensued. The Bulls beat the Chiefs 61 – 17.

The Bulls players and management have for a while now spoken about their desire to build a dynasty, to start an era of dominance in the competition to rival that of the Crusaders.

At Loftus on Saturday, in front of a sell-out crowd awash in light blue, they added substance to their words with a performance that was emphatic as any seen in any final anywhere. It was their second title, and only two teams have won more Super 14 trophies now than they have – the Crusaders and the Blues.

The Bulls scored eight tries to two, they led 34-7 at half-time, the game was effectively over when they led 21-7 after just 15 minutes. The eight tries was a record for a Super 14 decider, so was the winning margin of 44 points, which eclipsed the 30 the Brumbies won by when they beat the Sharks 36-6 in Canberra in 2001.

Of course, it was also the first time any team had scored more than 50, and ultimately this was anything but the dour final that some might have been anticipating.

When Leila Masanga scored the first try for the Chiefs after just seven minutes had been elapsed no-one would have believed what was about to transpire. Zane Kirchner put up a poor kick, a rare occurrence for him, and his failure to follow it effectively put Masanga in space. You don’t catch Masanga when he is in space, and the try, which was converted to make it 7-0, was greeted by a surreal silence by the massive crowd.

But if the Bulls were as stunned as their supporters they did not show it. Not for nothing is Fourie du Preez rated as the best scrumhalf in the world, maybe even the best rugby player on the planet.

Kirchner, surely now the front-runner for the Springbok fullback jersey for the coming series against the British and Irish Lions, made the initial break for the first Bulls try, but then looked to have butchered it with poor decision-making. No problem, Du Preez just forced himself over from the recycle to level the scores.

Source: sarugby.co.za

Tags: bulls, chiefs, super 14 final, super 14 results