Papier stars again as Bulls hold off Munster in Loftus thriller
MATCH REPORT: Embrose Papier sent another strong message to the Springbok coaching team with his man-of-the-match performance in the Bulls’ thrilling 34-31 bonus-point win over Munster on Saturday.
The scrumhalf scored two brilliant tries in another eye-catching performance, while Handre Pollard’s boot was also crucial as he landed all his kicks for a tally of 14 points.
The visitors outscored the home side by five tries to four in the United Rugby Championship Round 14 clash, which means they head back to Ireland with two losing bonus points.
Despite earning five log points, the Bulls’ overall performance will be a concern for head coach Johan Ackermann. They were not clinical enough, and they looked disjointed for large periods of play.
They also allowed Munster to stay in touch throughout the second half due to silly mistakes.
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“He continues to bring the magic.” 🎩🪄
Embrose Papier with a stunning individual effort 👏
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— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 28, 2026
After showing plenty of promise in the opening stages of the game, the visitors eventually opened the scoring in the 20th minute when some sustained pressure and great passing allowed Seán O’Brien to go into acres of space to score a five-pointer
The Bulls looked sloppy for much of the first half until some magic from Papier opened their account.
From a scrum on halfway, the scrumhalf weaved his way through several defenders to score a sensational try in the 30th minute.
The Bulls were reduced to 14 men in the 33rd minute after Bok lock Ruan Nortje was yellow-carded for a head clash at a breakdown.
Despite being man down, the home side went ahead in the 35th minute when Stedman Gans beat his man on the outside before feeding the ball to Canan Moodie, who ran in untouched for a try.
It was the perfect start to the second half for Munster with Tom Ahern going over for a try in the 42nd minute after some great carries by Alex Kendellen and Seán Edogbo.
However, the Bull fought back a few minutes later when Papier showed off his speed by chasing the ball after a Ruan Vermaak clearing kick before gathering it and running in for a try.
Munster’s fighting spirit meant that they were not going to lie down, and they were back within touching distance when Ahern crashed over for his second try in the 53rd minute. After missing his previous conversion attempt, Jack Crowley produced the goods this time to make it a two-point ball game.
Junior World Cup winner Cheswill Jooste then delivered his own bit of magic after being introduced into the game when he weaved his way through Munster’s defence to score a brilliant try in the 58th minute.
With the bonus point secured, Handre Pollard added a penalty goal to his four conversions to stretch the Bulls’ lead to 12 points with 19 minutes left on the clock.
However, the visitors kept the pressure on, and they were rewarded when Crowley sent Ben O’Connor into space to score Munster’s bonus-point try.
With less than eight minutes left on the clock, Pollard made it an eight-point ball game with a long-range penalty goal.
The home fans were silenced in the 75th minute after Edwin Edogbo rolled over for Munster’s fifth try before Crowley found the upright with his conversion attempt.
It was a tense last few minutes for the home side, but they managed to hang on for another crucial win.
Man of the match: The award goes to scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who delivered another big all-round performance. His two tries will feature on the top highlights reels in the weeks to come, and he also put his body on the line on defence.
The scorers:
For Bulls:
Tries: Papier 2, Moodie, Jooste
Cons: Pollard 4
Pens: Pollard 2
For Munster:
Tries: O’Brien, Ahern 2, O’Connor, E Edogbo
Cons: Crowley 3
Yellow card: Ruan Nortje (Bulls, 33′ – foul play, head clash at the breakdown
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Khuta Mchunu, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Cheswill Jooste, 23 David Kriel.
Munster: 15 Ben O’Connor, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Dan Kelly, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Seán O’Brien, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey (captain), 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Tom Ahern, 5 Fineen Wycherley, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Michael Ala’alatoa, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 1 Michael Milne.
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 John Ryan, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Seán Edogbo, 21 Paddy Patterson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 John Hodnett.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
