Player Ratings: Bulls

OPINION: The Bulls failed to produce the goods in their United Rugby Championship Final against Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.

Jake White’s side were never really in the game, especially their backline, and they eventually fell to a disappointing 7-32 defeat at Croke Park.

See the Player Ratings below:

15 Willie le Roux
It was a bad day for the Springbok veteran. The 35-year-old didn’t have enough speed to deal with a chip kick which led to Jordie Barrett’s try. A shocking cross-kick in the 18th minute in his own 22 almost gave Bulls’ fans a heart attack before he wasted an attacking play with another poor cross-kick in the 36th minute. He delivered a forward pass in the final attack of the first half and his overall performance was summed up with a frustrating knock-on in the 71st minute.
3.5/10

14 Canan Moodie
He is one of the best attacking players in South Africa and he wasn’t used enough, which is criminal. He hardly touched the ball during the match and when it did go his way, he was under pressure.
3/10

13 David Kriel
He was one of the Bulls’ best players during the season, but he hardly touched the ball in the Final. He was a frustrated figure out wide and most of that frustration would have been directed to his halfbacks.
3/10

12 Harold Vorster
He gave away a silly penalty early on by putting his hand in an opponent’s face while on the ground. He also couldn’t hold onto the ball after an offload by Kriel in the 16th minute in what was a rare attacking play. His defence was not the best with Leinster’s runners breaking free on a few occasions.
2/10

11 Sebastian de Klerk
He got exposed on defence in his channel a few times in the first half. His positioning on the field, when it came to kicks, could also be questioned after a poor knock-on while trying to catch a ball in the 53rd minute. However, like the rest of his backline teammates, there wasn’t enough ball to work with.
4/10

10 Johan Goosen
His name was barely mentioned in the opening 20 minutes. When he did get something to do, there was no imagination.
3/10

9 Embrose Papier
The hardest-working Bulls backline player out there, but he was a bit predictable on attack. With his backline nowhere in the game, he relied on short passes to his forwards for most of the match and it was not effective enough.
4/10

8 Marcell Coetzee
He had plenty of carries while he was on the field, but he was manhandled on several occasions as well. He didn’t have the power and the speed that we have become accustomed to with Cameron Hanekom in that position.
5/10

7 Ruan Nortje (captain)
The Bulls needed their captain to lead by example on the field, but it was hard for him to get into the game. There were a few promising carries, but there was just no momentum.
4/10

6 Marco van Staden
Like the rest of his teammates, he failed to stamp his authority in the opening stages of the game. He showed what he can do by winning a breakdown penalty in the 38th minute and he seemed to show a bit more aggression on attack and defence in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
4.5/10

5 JF van Heerden
The young man won a few line-outs, but other opportunities in the match were few and far between. This Final will be a good learning experience for him.
4.5/10

4 Cobus Wiese
It’s a pity he never returned to the field after going off for an HIA in the 36th minute. He was the Bulls’ most effective ball carrier, especially when he ran onto those short passes for Embrose Papier.
6/10

3 Wilco Louw
The big man didn’t have his best outing. He didn’t get the dominance he wanted in the scrums, although he did win a couple of penalties against Andrew Porter in the second before the Ireland international got revenge with a powerful scrum in the 58th minute.
5.5/10

2 Johan Grobbelaar
It was a mixed bag when it came to his line-out throwing. The Bulls seemed to be under immense pressure in that area. He would’ve been kicking himself for his skew throw-in in the 29th minute when the Bulls were in a great attacking position. He also lacked that aggression and physicality with ball in hand, but the same could be said for most of his teammates.
4/10

1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
It was a tough outing in the scrums for the Bok. He was under pressure in the first scrum, which gave Leinster a penalty and it set the tone for the rest of the first half.
4/10

Replacements:

16 Akker van der Merwe (On for Johan Grobbelaar, 44th minute)
He found RG Snyman with his first line-out throw-in. However, he showed great power to bulldoze his way over for a try in the 51st minute after a driving maul.
5/10

17 Alulutho Tshakweni (On for Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 52nd minute)
Under severe pressure in the scrums after he came onto the field.
3/10

18 Mornay Smith (On for Wilco Louw, 65th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

19 Jannes Kirsten (On for Cobus Wiese, 36th minute)
He didn’t have the same impact that Cobus Wiese had on the field.
4.5/10

20 Nizaam Carr (On for Marcell Coetzee, 65th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

21 Zak Burger (On for Embrose Papier, 72nd minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

22 Keagan Johannes (On for Johan Goosen, 66th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

23 Devon Williams (On for Sebastian de Klerk, 66th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

@rugby365com