Sweet revenge as Bulls crush Lions at Ellis Park

MATCH REPORT: The Bulls avoided back-to-back defeats against the Lions by claiming a commanding 52-17 United Rugby Championship victory at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The last time the two teams met, Lions produced a 43-33 upset at Loftus Versfeld. However, this time around, the Bulls had other plans.

They outclassed the Lions in most facets of the game, scoring eight tries on their way to an emphatic win in Johannesburg.

*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!

Former Lions centre Harold Vorster bagged a brace of tries for the visitors.

Springbok Morne van den Berg and Bronson Mills crossed for the Lions.

The result not only kept the Bulls’ play-off hopes alive but also dealt a significant blow to the Lions’ chances of lifting the South African Shield.

The Bulls started on the front foot, looking threatening in the opening minutes as they camped inside the Lions’ red zone. Their forwards laid a strong platform with heavy carries, but a knock-on by the visitors brought the early pressure to an end.

They regrouped quickly and made it count when Vorster dived over under the posts after the Bulls got over the gainline with ease. Handré Pollard converted to give the Bulls a 7–0 lead after 10 minutes.

The men from Pretoria were in control, winning the aerial battle and repeatedly exposing gaps in the Lions’ defence. They were briefly set back when Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Richard Kriel.

The Lions finally opened their account through a Chris Smith penalty before the cool-down break in the 20th minute.

The Bulls responded in style as Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar powered over from close range following a well-executed line-out and slick passing inside the five-metre area.

They then seized full control in the closing minutes of the first half, scoring two quick tries in the space of three minutes. Pollard made amends for an earlier missed conversion by crossing for the Bulls’ third try to make it 19–3.

Turning defence into attack, Stedman Gans sparked the next score with a line break before Vorster beat several defenders and offloaded to Arendse, who finished off the fourth try. Pollard added the extras as the Bulls took a commanding 26–3 lead into the break.

The Lions were desperate to strike first in the second stanza and did so through Morne van den Berg, who dotted down after a strong line-out set the platform. Smith added the conversion.

The hosts attempted to build momentum, but the Bulls remained firmly in control. Just short of the hour mark, a break from Stravino Jacobs sparked another attack before Vorster stretched over for his second try of the afternoon.

Embrose Papier joined the scoring spree when he strolled over for the Bulls’ sixth try, with Pollard again adding the extras for the 40-10 lead.

The Bulls edged closer to half a century thanks to some slick running and handling, with Mpilo Gumede diving over for a try.

Keagan Johannes sealed the scoring, converting the team’s eighth try.

Bronson Mills was a rare bright spot for the Lions, crossing for a consolation try, which Chris Smith converted, but the Bulls walked away with a commanding victory.

Player of the Match: There were several contenders, with Johan Grobbelaar and Harold Vorster producing standout performances. However, the award went to Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who was outstanding throughout, dictating play with sharp service from the base and capping his performance with a try.

The scorers:

For Lions:
Tries: Van den Berg, Mills
Cons: Smith 2
Pen: Smith

For Bulls:
Tries: Vorster 2, Grobbelaar, Pollard, Arendse, Papier, Gumede, Johannes
Cons: Pollard 5, Johannes

Yellow card: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls, 15 – dangerous tackle)

Teams:

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Reinnhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Scheoman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Etienne Oosthuizen, 20 Darrien Landsberg, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronje

Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Stravino Jacobs, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Reinhardt Ludwig, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Mpilo Gumede, 21 Nizaam Carr, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 David Kriel

Referee: Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
TMO: Egon Seconds (South Africa)