The game of the weekend in the Super 14 took place at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday night as the table topping Bulls hosted the mighty Crusaders in a thrilling match that ended with controversy. To avoid the result, stop reading now and skip to the video.
It was a fast paced affair as both sides threw everything into it as home semi final places were up for grabs. Morne Steyn kicked 25 points for the home side, while Dan Carter scored 15 of his own as he showed his class once again.
The thriller produced more than a few high quality tries, but ultimately came down to a controversial call by the assistant ref as Francois Hougaard scored a late try that gave the Bulls their home semi. It ended 40-35 to the hosts.
The Crusaders were furious as there looked to be a knock-on, but replays showed that the ball was in fact knocked back by one of their own players before Hougaard gathered. Whether the pass from replacement hooker Bandise Maku was heading forward or not is another issue entirely.
Bulls lock Victor Matfield, who himself scored on the night, said he felt the decision was correct.
“Replays proved it was the correct decision and the touch judge made a great call,” he said, before praising the opposition. “They are a great championship side who caught us out a few times. Crusaders are the best side this competition has seen.”
Loftus Versfeld will be unavailable for the May 22 semi-final due to football World Cup preparations, so the Bulls will play in Soweto for the first time ever.
That final try – good call or bad call?
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05:03
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