PRETORIA, July 8 (ANA) – The Southern Kings showed that the decision to remove them from Super Rugby may have been the wrong one as they toppled the Bulls 31-30 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.
Captain and flyhalf Lionel Cronjé was the man of the moment, kicking a penalty after the hooter to secure victory for the Eastern Cape outfit.
The Kings, however, were well on top at the halftime break, with three first-half tries giving them a 22-10 advantage.
Perhaps they relaxed and thought the game was over as a contest, as they were much more urgent than the hosts in the opening 40 minutes.
Their forwards won the breakdown battle, their passes stuck on attack and they played with confidence after their win over the Jaguares in Argentina last weekend.
They dotted down first too, with prolific wing Makazole Mapimpi finishing off in the 11th minute after fullback Malcolm Jaer kept the Bulls defence engaged just long enough to give Mapimpi enough space down the line to score.
The Bulls thought they were back in the game about 10 minutes later when wing Travis Ismaiel crossed the line, but referee Federico Anselmi disallowed the try for a dangerous tackle by lock Jason Jenkins on Cronjé, with Jenkins receiving a yellow card on top of it.
The Kings took full advantage of having an extra player, and Cronjé and Jaer scored within nine minutes of each other for a 22-3 lead.
Jenkins made amends, though, as he scored in injury time before the break to pull it back to 22-10.
The home team struck again soon after halftime when wing Duncan Matthews brushed past Jaer and had enough to get over the line despite the attentions of Mapimpi, and suddenly the Bulls were right back in the game at 22-17 down.
Two penalties by Tian Schoeman put the Bulls in front at 23-22 after 67 minutes, and it looked like the men from the coast had run out of puff following their travels from South America.
But, as they have all season, their skipper stepped up. Cronjé booted over a drop goal a minute later and his second penalty soon after that, and it was 28-23 to the Kings.
The Bulls, though, scored arguably the try of the match when they marched upfield, with Jan Serfontein again prominent, and it was replacement hooker Jaco Visagie who burst through with just three minutes to go.
Schoeman slotted the conversion for a 30-28 lead, and it looked like Nollis Marais’ team had done enough for the four log points.
The Kings pack had the last say in the final minute when they won a scrum penalty inside the Bulls 22, and Cronjé coolly slotted an angled goal-kick to send his teammates into raptures.
Coach Deon Davids and his team made a big statement with his victory after being removed from Super Rugby this week, along with the Cheetahs, with the Bulls, Sharks, Lions and Stormers being chosen as the four SA representatives from 2018.
But the Kings will hope to be a success in a possible international competition in Europe going forward.
Scorers: Bulls 30 (10): Tries: Jason Jenkins, Duncan Matthews, Jaco Visagie. Conversions: Tian Schoeman (3). Penalties: Schoeman (3). Kings 31 (22): Tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Lionel Cronjé, Malcolm Jaer. Conversions: Cronjé (2). Penalties: Cronjé (3). Drop goal: Cronjé (1). – African News Agency (ANA)
