Match Details

Brumbies

VS

Bulls (SA)

7

Canberra Kick off times: 7:10pm (Local) Sat 3 Mar 7:10pm (AEDT) Sat 3 Mar

19

South Africa's Bulls have upset the Brumbies by 19-7 in the round-five Super 14 match in Canberra on Saturday night.

The result highlighted the Brumbies' poor form in attack  as they could only add seven points to what is the lowest scoring tally in the competition.

However, the Bulls defence was a contributing factor as they held out wave after wave of Brumbies attack after building what proved to be an insurmountable first-half lead.

Handling errors cost both sides valuable points, but the Brumbies in particular had a mistake-riddled night and the score could have been closer had they kept their hands on the ball.

It was the first time a South African Super Rugby team has won at Canberra Stadium since 1998 and turns around the Bulls indifferent start to the 2007 Super 14 campaign, moving them into the top four for the first time this year.

The Brumbies, who went into this game without injured Wallabies stars Stephen Larkham, Stirling Mortlock, Clyde Rathbone and Alister Campbell, have now lost three games from five rounds and find themselves in unfamiliar territory in the bottom half of the table.

Bulls flyhalf Derick Hougaard's capable boot aided the score difference, with a perfect record of four kicks from four attempts.

Hougaard opened the scoring in the very first minute when he found himself close enough to slot a drop goal, handing the Bulls a lead that they were to keep for the entire match.

He then made the Brumbies pay the price for giving away penalties in their defensive half, converting in the 14th minute and then twice around the half-hour mark.

Minutes later, the Bulls scored the first try of the night. A lineout close to the Brumbies goal line found its way to Bulls number eight Pedrie Wannenburg and the forward pack forced him across the line. Hougaard added the extras.

The Bulls survived a close call when Brumbies flanker Jone Tawake fell just short of the line with seconds to go in the half.

If the first half was all Bulls, however, the second consisted mainly of Brumbies possession, although they failed to take advantage of it apart from scoring one try.

The Brumbies hit back after the half when their attacking pressure led to George Gregan feeding centre Gene Fairbanks to dash over between the posts. Julian Huxley converted.

The Brumbies pushed hard to close the gap, but the Bulls defence was impenetrable, even when Jaco van der Weshuyzen was sin binned for the Bulls early in the second half.

Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher believed they were their own worst enemy.

"By my count we had 16 dropped balls and forward passes, so some of that is just unforced errors and some of that is pressure from good defence," Fisher said.

"But if you can't sustain any pressure you're not going to beat a side."

Bulls 19

Tries: Wannenburg

Conversions: Hougaard

Penalties: Hougaard 3

Drop goals: Hougaard

Brumbies 7

Tries: Fairbanks

Conversions: Huxley

Crowd: 15,101

At Canberra Stadium