Flyhalf Gareth Anscombe scored all the points for Auckland Blues as they triumphed 29-23 against the Northern Bulls on Saturday and put a poor start to the Super 15 season behind them.
Anscombe scored two tries, which he converted, and kicked five penalties out of seven attempts at a muted Loftus Versfeld as the Blues gained their first win after losses to fellow New Zealand sides Crusaders and Chiefs.
The usually deadly goal kicker Morne Steyn had a rare off day for the South African side, succeeding with only three of seven shots at goal, although he did strike a vital stoppage-time conversion between the posts to earn a bonus point.
Photo: AFP
Left wing Bjorn Basson crossed the try line twice and captain and No. 8 Pierre Spies once for the three-time champions, with Steyn landing one conversion and two penalties.
The outcome was a reality check for the Bulls after wins over South African rivals Coastal Sharks and Central Cheetahs.
The Blues made the perfect start, with Anscombe intercepting a Francois Venter pass and sprinting 55m for a second-minute try.
His conversion plus a penalty gave the Blues a 10-point advantage that the Bulls halved when Spies barged over in the corner and a Steyn penalty cut the deficit to two points.
However, there was no stopping Anscombe as he landed a penalty and converted his second try to put the visitors 20-8 ahead at halftime.
A couple of penalties from Anscombe and one from Steyn left the Blues 26-11 ahead with 12 minutes to go and the match-winner kicked another penalty between a brace of Basson tries with Rene Ranger of the Blues sin binned after the second.
SHARKS 32, LIONS 20
AFP, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
The Coastal Sharks gained their first win of the season when they beat the Golden Lions 32-20 at King’s Park on Saturday.
The Sharks secured a bonus point by scoring their fourth try with the last move of the match, but had to beat back a spirited challenge by an injury-hit Lions team, who briefly had hopes of securing a share of the points when they were attacking the Sharks line shortly before the bonus-point try.
Fullback Riaan Viljoen, left wing Lwazi Mvovo and replacements Meyer Bosman and Jacques Botes scored tries for the Sharks, while flyhalf Patrick Lambie landed three conversions and two penalty goals.
Lions fullback Jaco Taute and replacement forward Ruan Dreyer scored tries, with flyhalf Butch James converting both tries and kicking two penalty goals.
The Sharks were somewhat fortunate to lead 17-6 at halftime against a Lions team that opted for an attacking, passing game.
Taute’s try midway through the second half brought the Lions within seven points of the Sharks, before center JP Pietersen picked up the ball from a handling error by the Lions and raced downfield to set up a try for Bosman.
The Lions fought back again, with Dreyer scoring five minutes from the end, setting up a close finish.
However, the Lions were penalized while on the attack near the halfway line. Sharks captain Keegan Daniel opted for a kick to touch and Botes went over after a drive from the line out.
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