Bulls claim big win in round three of Illawarra rugby

The Bulls endured one of the toughest opening three weeks in the competition, playing both of last year’s grand finalists and a resurgent Shoalhaven. Uni claimed two from three, with last week’s loss to Shoalhaven coming in the dying stages. 

Coach Dion Miller has been impressed with his side’s start to the season. Despite the result, it was the performance against the Shoalies that was the most pleasing for Miller.

“We’re very happy with the opening three weeks,” Miller said. “Those were all tough games, playing the two grand finalists from last year and Shoalhaven, an up and coming side. It was good to start with three tough games to test ourselves early on.

“We weren’t too disappointed losing to Shoalhaven. We knew how good they are, it was a very good game of football, it’s always nice to win, but we were happy with the boys’ work rate.”

While Uni ran out 37-point victors, Saturday’s match was a hard-fought encounter, with the Bulls leading 19-13 at half-time. 

Uni were boosted by the inclusion of five-eighth Tom Baker, who combined with fullback Donovan Nepia to direct the team around the park. The pair controlled the field position battle, using an astute kicking game to put Vikings on the back foot. 

Both teams were crippled by injuries to a number of key players and it was the Uni substitutes who were able to close out the match. 

“We had a few injuries, guys had to come on and we had to rely on some of our support players to finish the job. It’s great to be in the position where we have players who can come in and take control of the game.”

Despite the result, Vikings coach Sean Barrett was pleased with his team’s performance. 

“Uni are a pretty good team, if they can keep all their players on the paddock, they'll trouble most teams this year,” Barrett said. “We didn’t apply enough pressure at times, we struggled at the set piece. When we held the ball for multiple phases, we looked pretty good and took our opportunities. 

“Overall, it was a pretty tough match, both sides had two forward packs that were willing to go toe-to-toe. Both teams limped to the 80 minute mark with key injuries, we have a few blokes who could miss a few games.”

In Saturday’s other matches, Shoalhaven maintained their unbeaten record with a 31-20 victory over Tech Waratahs. The Shoalies are the last remaining unbeaten team after Avondale overcame Bowral in a tough encounter. The Wombats prevailed 12-5 after leading by two at the break. 

Kiama claimed their second win of the season with a one-point victory over Campbelltown. The Harlequins will head into the week off without a win after the 20-19 loss. And Shamrocks overcame a half-time deficit to register their first win of the season. The visitors trailed 13-10 at the break, but produced a solid second half to defeat Camden 22-20.