Hughes Leads Bulls to Grand Final

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University Bulls, superbly led by Flanker Jason Hughes, have booked their spot in the IDRU Builders Club Premiership Grand Final in two weeks’ time at WIN Stadium. It was a convincing 30 points to 12 Major Semi Final victory over Minor Premiers Avondale at Camden Rugby Park in which the Bulls scored four tries to two.

With the added bonus of having NSW

Country Eagles rep Paul Tuala available for the match, the Bulls proved to be superior in all facets of the game taking a 10 points to 7 lead into the halftime break after running into the wind.

In a well-constructed tradesman like performance of semi-final phone number list football the Bulls defense was outstanding right through the match keeping the Wombat attacking opportunities to a minimum. The number of missed tackles by the Uni players throughout the match could be counted on the fingers of one hand such was the standard of the Bulls defense.

The first points in the match came

Penalty Try to the Bulls in the eighth minute. Winger Tyler Aitkin was taken in a head high tackle when attempting to ground the ball wide out in the Wombats in goal. The incident followed a wonderful play from fullback Chris Miller who ran onto a long pass from a quick lineout on the halfway line. In an electrifying thirty meter run he created space for Aitkin on the right who carried the ball into the in goal. Following the heavy tackle referee Craig Conway and Touch Judge David Gunning conferred and the Penalty Try was awarded under the posts. Aitkin left the field and took no further part in the match as the try was converted by Rapine Mason for the Bulls to lead 7 – 0.

With the big crowd being entertained by high quality performances across the park from both sides the Bulls were slowly but surely taking control of the match. But it was Avondale who posted the next points to get back into the game. Wombat winger Ryan Lonsdale took advantage of a well-executed backline play as he found room on the outside of his opposite number Matt Lee to score on the left edge. The Darryl Sanft side line conversion locked the scores at 7 all. Sanft failed with a penalty goal attempt before Mason added one in the closing minutes of the half for the Bulls to take the lead.

The Bulls took a stranglehold on the match putting on three unanswered tries in the thirty minutes after the break

Man of the Match Jason Hughes posted the first as a result of one of several very well constructed driving mauls from the Bulls in the fifty first minute. The try went unconverted before replacement Donovan Nepia kicked a penalty goal for Uni to go out to an 18 – 7 lead ten minutes later.

Hughes was prominent in the next try when he broke from a ruck with the ball ten meters from the Wombat line. He cleverly put fly-half Leon Mason through a gap to score under the posts. With a conversion from Nepia, the Bulls tightened their grip on the semi-final at 25 – 7.

Despite having center Rapine

Mason sin binned, it was the Bulls who scored again as winger Matt Lee toed a loose ball through. After kicking again twice in an attempt to reach the Avondale line, Lee just missed being able to regain the ball to score, but fortunately for the Bulls, front rower Andy Papworth was on hand to clean up and score the try.

Seconds after returning to the field Mason denied Wombats a try with a sensational covering tackle on replacement winger Tasesa Lalotoa bundling him into touch centimeters short of the line. In the dying minutes of the match Wombat front rower Anthony Amone posted Avondale’s sole second half points with a barge over try from close range.

Jason Hughes’ outstanding performance

Bulls was ably supported by forwards Andrew Lindsay and Paul Tuala with the Mason Brothers and Chris Miller a strong force in the backline. For Avondale Matthew Taufa and Steven Fuka toiled hard all day endeavoring to take their side forward. The Bulls can now have a rest next week as Avondale has another chance in the title race in next weeks’ Preliminary Final against the winner of the Minor Semi Final between Camden and Vikings.