Player Ratings - Bulls

OPINION: The Bulls succumbed to New Zealand by 19-50 in the third Greatest Rivalry tour clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

*Also read: All Blacks crush Bulls for perfect RGR warm-up

The Bulls missed several scoring chances they will look back on, but there were some outstanding moments from players despite the lopsided scoreline.

*Angus Opperman rates the Bulls players!

15 Willie le Roux – 6.5/10
Rushed out the line that opened space for Josh Moorby’s try. Knocked the ball on, which saw Liebenberg’s try chalked off. Made up for it to set a 5-metre lineout following a penalty, although the Bulls couldn’t capitalise, but came into his own and showed touches of class at times.

14 Thaakir Abrahams – 6/10
Didn’t have many opportunities with ball in hand and dropped the pill cold when he finally got it. To his credit, he grew into the game as it went on and worked hard off the ball. Didn’t shy away defensively either.

13 Stedman Gans 6.5/10
Had a solid start but was at sixes and sevens at times defensively. Made a few mini breaks and runs and had the All Blacks guessing at times with his deceiving sidesteps on attack.

12 Harold Vorster – 7/10
Worked hard off the ball and didn’t shy away from defence. Didn’t have many opportunities with ball in hand. Showed great desperation to almost deny Leroy Carter’s try.

11 Stravino Jacobs 7.5/10
Was caught out defensively on a few occasions but worked hard in his kick chases, especially on the restarts. Showed great skill and speed to score the Bulls’ second try, beating Beauden Barrett in the process. Also made one dominant tackle.

10 Curwin Bosch 7.5/10
A decent first outing in a Bulls jersey. Missed a crucial touch finder from a penalty looking for maximum distance, but made up for it in the second half with a solid 5 metre line kick to set up Ruan Vermaak’s try. Showed slick hands to set Stravino Jacobs’s try and controlled the game well for the most part.

9 Embrose Papier – 8/10
Provided crisp service to Bosch and showed why he received a Bok recall this season. Got himself isolated, which ultimately led to Taylor’s second try. Definitely pushed his case to face New Zealand during the Test series.

8 Jeandre Rudolph – 9
Was unlucky to concede an early penalty but didn’t shy away from his defensive work, making the joint most (16) tackles. Was always a nuisance at the breakdown, winning the most penalties (3). Also showed his offload skills that led to Jacobs’ try.

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7 Hanro Liebenberg 7/10
Carried hard and showed tremendous speed to score a beautiful (disallowed) try against the run of play. Got stuck in the dark places and did a lot of donkey work during his shift.

6 Marcell Coetzee (captain) – 8/10
Carried strongly throughout the game and had a solid run with ball in hand early on. Never stopped getting stuck in and led by example by putting his body on the line. Was rewarded with a try for his efforts. Made the third most carries (13) and joint first most tackles (15)

5 JF van Heerden – 5/10
Had a decent game and didn’t do too much wrong. Couldn’t really do much to prevent Codie Taylor’s try. Ran the line-outs well too and made one dominant tackle.

4 Ruan Vermaak – 5/10
Did well in the set-piece and overall work around the park. Showed great speed and power to score his side’s first try but went from hero to zero after dropping the ball after the restart, leading to Carter’s try.

3 Francois Klopper 4.5/10
Struggled at scrum time and conceded a costly penalty on attack in the All Blacks’ red zone. Conceded a yellow card for cynically being offside in his red zone. Otherwise, didn’t do much special for his lengthy time on the pitch.

2 Juann Else – 3.5/10
Missed his first line-out throw, but came into his own as the match progressed. Knocked the ball on five metres from New Zealand’s line, squandering a golden opportunity for his team to score before the break, being 17 points down. Returned to the pitch after Rudolph went off for an HIA in the 62nd minute.

1 Alu Tshakweni – 5/10
Didn’t have it all his way in the scrums and worked hard around the park before being replaced by Sithole in the 26th minute with an HIA.

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Replacements:

16 Johan Grobbelaar (On for Juan Else in the 41st minute) – 4/10
Missed a couple of line-out throws and never really got his rhythm going, but also did not do too many things wrong with the limited opportunities he had.

17 Sti Sithole (on for Alu Tshakweni in the 26th minute)- 4.5/10
Almost cost his team with a loose pass in the second half but otherwise had a decent outing and held his own for the most in the scrums. Carried well too.

18 Khuta Mchunu (Replaced Francois Klopper in the 65th minute) – N/A
Had a brief spell in the first half after Klopper was yellow-carded and returned later, but didn’t do enough to earn a rating.

19 Reinhardt Ludwig (On for Ruan Vermaak in the 44th minute) – 6/10
Had a decent outing, although didn’t always have his way in the tight-loose. Did his primary job well and didn’t shy away from contact either.

20 Elrigh Louw (on for Hanro Liebenberg in the 41st minute) – 6.5/10
Made a couple of solid tackles, including one dominant one moments after taking the field. Worked hard during the second stanza and brought his part in difficult circumstances.

21 Paul de Wet (Replaced Embrose Papier in the 52nd minute) – 5.5/10
Had a few decent touches and kept the pace of the game. Definitely held his own for the time he was on the park.

22 Katlego Letebele (Replaced Harold Vorster in the 52nd minute) – 5.5/10
Was busy when afforded the opportunity with the ball in hand and almost nailed a 50/22 kick.

23 Hakeem Kunene (Replaced Willie le Roux in the 72nd minute) – N/A
Had a strong run to set Marcell Coetzee up for his try, but otherwise there wasn’t enough time to give him an overall rating.