Bulls move closer to URC home quarters

REPORT: The Bulls delivered a strong statement in the United Rugby Championship, powering to a commanding 54-19 victory over Zebre at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Although not flawless by their standards and not as clinical throughout the 80 minutes, the Pretoria side still managed to outscore the Italians eight tries to three in the Round 17 clash.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!

There was a big ovation in the 67th minute when Embrose Papier came off the bench and made his 170th appearance for the Bulls.

The Springbok, who played seven Tests, surpassed legend Joost van der Westhuizen (169) as the scrumhalf with the most matches for the Pretoria-based outfit in all competitions.

The big talking point ahead of the fixture was Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann’s decision to select Willie le Roux at flyhalf.

The Springbok replaced Handré Pollard in the starting line-up, and what an incredible start it was for the No. 10 and the Bulls.

The hosts raced to a 7-0 lead inside two minutes. A sharp break from Canan Moodie put the home side on the front foot before Le Roux crossed for the opening try.

While TMO Adam Jones ruled there had been a forward pass in the build-up, referee Ben Whitehouse overruled the decision and awarded the try.

The Bulls were guilty of forcing play at times. However, they remained in control and quickly found space inside the Zebre defensive line.

Sergeal Petersen broke through and linked with Moodie, who finished for the second try. Le Roux added the conversion to extend the lead to 14-0.

Zebre finally struck back through Jacopo Trulla, who intercepted the ball, fended off Kurt-Lee Arendse, and finished under the posts. Martin Roger Farias added the extras.

The Bulls responded instantly. Arendse used his pace to beat defenders before sending Cheswill Jooste over in the corner. The score moved to 19-7.

Up front, the Bulls’ dominance was equally telling, with their scrum consistently putting Zebre under pressure.

The set-piece dominance paid off again as the Bulls built pressure inside the red zone. Petersen finished off a well-worked move to secure the bonus-point try.

Just before the break, Zebre struck again through hooker Giampietro Ribaldi, who powered over from a rolling maul to take the visitors into double figures.

With a healthy 26-12 lead at the break, the Bulls started the second half in fine form and kept Zebre inside their own half.

While Zebre managed to survive the onslaught, they came up with their own attack. However, the Bulls quickly counterattacked, with the loose forwards linking up before Ruan Vermaak picked up a grubber and dotted down, taking the score to 33-12.

Zebre did not go away. Their backline showed some great individual brilliance before Thomas Dominguez went over. Farias added the conversion.

The Bulls hit back immediately as multiple phases finally got Cameron Hanekom over the line, 40-19.

Embrose Papier then took the field in the 67th minute fueling the crowd at Loftus Versfeld.

The Bulls continued to fire, with Arendse showing great determination to set up the perfect platform for Harold Vorster to add his name to the scoreboard. Le Roux added the extras for a 47-19 lead.

With just three minutes on the clock, Jeandré Rudolph showed his dancing feet, stepping two defenders before scoring his team’s eighth try.

The result means the Bulls have 54 log points and have boosted their chances of booking a home quarterfinal spot.

The Bulls will take on Benetton next week at Loftus Versfeld.

Player of the match: Canan Moodie impressed with a try and key involvement in attack, the standout performance went to Cameron Hanekom. His physical carries, work rate, and defensive presence made him a constant force.

The scores:

For Bulls:
Tries: Le Roux, Moodie, Jooste, Petersen, Vermaak, Vorster, Hanekom, Rudolf
Cons: Le Roux 7

For Zebre:
Tries: Trulla, Ribaldi, Dominguez
Cons: Farias 2

Teams

Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Willie le Roux, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Jeandre Rudolph, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Marco van Staden, 1 Jan Hendrik Wessels
Replacements: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Stedman Gans

Zebre: 15 Mirko Belloni, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Enrico Lucchin, 11 Malik Faissal, 10 Martin Roger Farias, 9 Thomas Dominguez, 8 Giovanni Licata (captain), 7 Davide Odiase, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Franco Carrera, 3 Matteo Nocera, 2 Giampietro Ribaldi, 1 Paolo Buonfiglio
Replacements: 16 Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Luca Franceschetto, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Matteo Canali, 20 Bautista Stavile, 21 Samuele Locatelli, 22 Alessandro Fusco, 23 Migael Prinsloo

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa) and Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Adam Jones (Wales)