Bulls fire warning shots
They ran in eight tries, sending shivers down spine of those heading to Loftus for play-offs
● The Bulls delivered a response to last weekend’s chastening defeat against Munster that would have sent shudders through the rest of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Rivals watching the pace and power of Elrigh Louw’s team would have been strongly motivated to avoid a trip to Loftus for the playoffs. The Bulls ran in eight tries, forced Ospreys fullback to give away a penalty try and ran out 61-24 winners in front 8 300 spectators, whose focus will begin turning to those knockout rounds.
The players, however, still have three more rounds of fixtures to come, including a tasty encounter in two weeks time against the Glasgow Warriors, another side chasing home ground advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Bulls delivered a more rounded display than was the case against the defending champions last week, showing greater commitment to their structures, and allowing their forwards to first gain the ascendancy before unleashing their backline.
Still, the initial stages of the first half were a stop-start affair, and although the Bulls were the more progressive, both teams lacked rhythm and accuracy with their handling and kicking out of hand.
The Ospreys, so impressive in their win in Cape Town last week, couldn’t rekindle the same kind of efficiency they displayed against the Stormers and the errors they committed yesterday, were punished by the Bulls.
The home team, led by the hard-running Louw, and a dominant scrum, had plenty of front foot ball. However, while the ascendancy was reflected on the half-time scoreboard, the fact that the Ospreys were still within touch at half-time and could have been closer, also indicated the Bulls’ lethargy. It was an unforced error from flyhalf Chris Smith, attempting a kick with no room available for one, that turned into a penalty, which the Ospreys — following a lineout — turned into a try for their scrumhalf Luke Davies.
But the Bulls were forcing even more mistakes
out of the Welsh side, with Louw’s power a prominent feature in the first half. By half-time, they had wrapped up the bonus point after David Kriel intercepted a pass from Ospreys’ eighth man Morgan Morris to send Canaan Moodie — restored to his preferred
No 14 jersey — strolling in for the first of his two tries.
Although further from the action, Moodie’s impact was greater than had been the case during his sojourn at outside centre, where as Jake White explained, he “hasn’t
been buzzing”.
The Bulls’ director of rugby added: “It’s not his fault (but) he hasn’t given me what I thought.” Provided with more room, Moodie was able to use his pace, with his second try the result of a lovely grubber from the impressive Kriel.
The authority of the forwards also allowed Willie le Roux greater scope as a playmaker, which was important given Smith’s struggles in open play. Although the 29-yearold flyhalf isn’t a rookie, his sluggishness was understandable having come into the starting line-up for the first time following Johan Goosen’s three-week suspension for his red card against Munster.
Le Roux’s sweeping impact and range of passing provided the space for centres Vorster and Kriel to thrive.
White, who had been at pains to point out that last week’s defeat to Munster wasn’t fatal, will have been pleased with how his team cleaned up their play yesterday.
There was less freneticism and, instead of trying to play from deep, they found the necessary territorial advantage before attempting anything fancy.
The Bulls, as White had mentioned beforehand, still have their destiny in their own hands.
The upcoming clash with the Warriors fits into that particular criteria. The Scottish side completed a comfortable win against Italian side, Zebre, shortly before the Bulls had achieved theirs, briefly assuming top spot on the points table.
Theirs will be a top four clash, and given the importance of home ground advantage in the playoffs, the prize is a significant one. Beyond just the quarterfinals, staying at Loftus for a semifinal would also add a boost to the Loftus coffers.
But as White explained, there are a number of permutations that could see them finish either top or even sixth. “You want the last weekend to go down to where teams can either stay alive or go out.” he said.