The Bulls produced their best game of the season to beat a hapless Highlanders outfit 47-17 in their Super 14 Round 10 match at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on Saturday.

The six tries to two victory may have come too late to salvage the defending champions' season, but showed what they are capable of and restore some measure of pride for the men in light blue.

The Bulls, clearly playing without the pressure of having to defend a title and not restricted by the fear of failure, played an expansive game seldom seen at Loftus.

Even though there was a brief second-half slump, the Bulls were in command from the outset and dominated all aspects for large parts of the game.

There was a very early opportunity for the Bulls, as the Highlanders failed to control the kick-off and then went offside. Morné Steyn had a shot from about 25 metres out and it was a mere formality as the Bulls went into a 3-0 lead in the first minute.

And minutes later the sparse Loftus crowd had more to cheer about, as the Bulls pounced on a Highlanders mistake and countered with deadly accuracy — first Zane Kirchner making a strong run and then putting Bryan Habana into space. Habana used his pace and as the cover came across he put in a deft little grubber and Kirchner followed p to pounce and score the Bulls' first try.

The conversion was wide, but at 8-0 after four minutes the question was already: 'Why haven't we seen more of this in weeks gone by?'

In the 10th minute the Bulls had another scoring chance — as the Highlanders first pulled down a very impressive-looking Bulls maul and then went offside, prompting the referee to have a chat with Highlanders captain Craig Newby.

Steyn slotted the penalty to male it 11-0 in as many minutes.

The Bulls suffered a setback a minute later when scrumhalf Heini Adams was taken out from an illegal position and was taken off with what looked a serious leg injury. Francois Hougaard, who arrived from France — where he played for South Africa at the International Rugby Board (IRB) Under-20 tournament — on Thursday, was then thrust into the frontline of a Bulls team that had now lost their two top scrumhalves in a week.

The initial report back on Adams suggested it was not a fracture to his leg, but he still went for scans — the result of which will only be available at a later stage.

Steyn had another shot at goal in the 17th minute as the Highlanders were again penalised for a deliberate offence at a ruck and he made no mistake — 14-0.

And the rout continued as Akona Ndungane went over for his team's second try in the 19th minute, after a counter started by Morné Steyn and another strong run by Kirchner. Steyn added the conversion for a 21-0 lead.

The Highlanders then finally got their hands on the ball and built up some momentum, earning a penalty for offside — which James Wilson slotted from in front.

In the 28th minute the Highlanders conceded another penalty in what is termed the 'red zone' — with Steyn's attempted penalty coming off the upright.

A dangerous tackle by wing Fetu'u Vainikolo then reduced the Highlanders to 14 minutes in the 32nd minute — as he was yellow carded.

The Bulls' third try came in the 39th minute, from another great counter on a turnover — as quick hands put Kirchner in the clear and he jogged over. Steyn added the conversion for a 28-3 lead — which is how it stayed till the break.

The Bulls' bonus-point try was not long in coming — five minutes after the break — as Kirchner ran a great line, cut the defensive line with ease and then offloaded to JP Nel for a great score. Steyn's conversion made it 35-3.

At this stage the replacements started coming in numbers, as the coaches started clearing the benches — with the Bulls featuring a complete new front row of Bandise Maku (at hooker), along with props Ryno Gerber and Jaco Engels.

The Highlanders continued gamely and in the 63rd minute they managed to get the ball over the line in a heap of bodies, with the call going to the TMO — who had numerous looks at several angles. He confirmed that Chris King had scored a try. Wilson added the conversion to make it 10-35.

And the Bulls were reduced to 14 men two minutes later when Danie Rossouw was deemed to have committed a deliberate infringement at a ruck and sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes.

It seemed to give the Highlanders the momentum they enjoyed a period of territorial advantage — coming close to a second try on a number of occasions.

They got their reward in the 72nd minute when Tom Donnelly stretched out a long arm to score after some very sloppy defending by the Bulls — who clearly allowed their intensity to slip.

But that score awoke the Bulls from their second half slumber and a quick counter was finished by Pedrie Wannenburg with a great try under the posts.

Ndungane scored his second and the Bulls' sixth moments later, as the Bulls raced further clear and re-established that dominance they had in the first half.

And that's how it stayed — the Bulls winning 47-17, convincing and deserved.

365