Bulls paid dear price for first tour win

INJURY UPDATE: The Bulls have paid a dear price for their impressive performance in Treviso on Friday.

The Bulls scored five second-half tries to pick up the first win of their Northern Hemisphere tour, as they triumphed 44-22 over Benetton.

Jake White’s men were back in Treviso for the first time since suffering a shock defeat to the same opponents in the Final of the one-off Rainbow Cup in June 2021.

They trailed 3-9 at half-time this time around, but banished fears of a repeat of their previous visit to Treviso – Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marcell Coetzee and Stravino Jacobs all crossed the tryline after the break to claim maximum points following consecutive losses at Glasgow Warriors and Munster.

Benetton’s only try came courtesy of Manuel Zuliani as they suffered a first home defeat since April, while Tomas Albornoz kicked 17 points.

Chris Smith contributed 13 points to the Bulls’ cause, with replacement Morné Steyn accounting for six.

However, White will be sweating over the fitness of Springbok loose forward Elrigh Louw, who was taken from the field in the 75th minute and carried to the dressing room by his teammates after the full-time hooter.

The Bulls’ Director of Rugby, White, said the 23-year-old Bok, capped three times by his country this year, will undergo a scan to determine the extent of the ankle injury.

“He said that he heard a noise,” White said of the injury, adding that if it was a syndesmosis injury it would have meant eight weeks on the sidelines.

“Hopefully it is not too serious,” the Bulls boss said, adding: “Hopefully we just need to give him a bit of time and get him back on the field.”

The Bulls host the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in Round Seven next week and then have a four-week break – during the November international window.

“If he misses the next game, maybe by the end of the November break he could be available again,” White said.