RECAP: Bulls v Lions
READERS’ FORUM: Welcome to our coverage of the Super Rugby Round 18 clash between the Bulls and Lions at Loftus.
Read all our Super Rugby previews for the weekend here.
This game will revolve around one factor: ‘Discipline’.
There is the emotion surround the departure of a number of stalwarts – like Rudolph Snyman, Duane Vermeulen, Jason Jenkins and Handre Pollard.
It will be the final appearance for them at Loftus, in a Bulls jersey, before they head of to France (Pollard, to Montpellier) and Japan (Jenkins, Snyman and Vermeulen).
However, it is the boot of the Bulls captain, Pollard, that holds the biggest threat to the visiting Lions.
Pollard, the competition’s leading points scorer (170 in 12 games – 37 penalties, 23 conversions, two tries and a drop-goal) was the difference between the two teams in their Round Three encounter back in March.
Pollard scored 20 of his team’s points (six penalties and a conversion) in a 30-12 victory.
Recent results:
2019: Bulls won 30-12, Johannesburg
2018: Lions won 38-12, Johannesburg
2018: Lions won 49-35, Pretoria
2017: Lions won 51-14, Johannesburg
2016: Lions won 56-20, Pretoria
Prediction: Three of the last five Super Rugby games between the Bulls and Lions have been won by the away side on the day, with the Lions picking up four wins in that span. The Bulls are just the third side in Super Rugby history to draw two consecutive games (Force in 2006, Chiefs in 2014); no side has ever drawn three consecutive games in the competition. The Lions have won only two of their previous seven South African derbies in Super Rugby, this after having won 19 on the bounce prior. The Bulls have kicked 44 penalty goals thus far in Super Rugby 2019, nine more than any other team in the competition and 30 more than the Lions (14). Only the Hurricanes’ Ardie Savea (26) has won more turnovers than the Lions’ Kwagga Smith (20) in Super Rugby 2019.
Prediction: Bulls
Margin: Two points
RECAP: Bulls v Lions
Kick-off: 17.15 (local time); 15.15 GMT
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Handré Pollard (captain),
9 Andre Warner, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jannes Kirsten, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw.
Lions: TBC
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Egon Seconds (South Africa), Stefan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Christie du Preez (South Africa)
