Following a 25-13 victory over the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship semi-final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.
15 Willie le Roux: Not quite as influential as he has been recently, but Le Roux was still vital to the Bulls attack as they played some spellbinding rugby at times and made breaks through that Sharks defence. 7
14 Canan Moodie: Excellent from the young wing, who was impressive in the air, made ground with ball in hand and was solid in defence. Was duly rewarded with a try, finishing superbly from De Klerk’s pinpoint cross-field kick. 8
13 David Kriel: Has not quite been at his best in the second half of the season, but Kriel was part of a fine Bulls performance here, making ground with ball in hand and also doing his bit in defence. Scored the try that ended the Sharks’ season. 7
12 Harold Vorster: Put in a fine shift without the ball and was one of their top tacklers but Vorster did cop a yellow card, which enabled the Sharks to exert pressure, resulting in two more players going to the sin-bin. 6
Remarkable performance
11 Sebastian de Klerk: Absolutely incredible from the wing. Has endured disciplinary issues recently but those were not a worry here as De Klerk ripped the Sharks apart, running for almost 100 metres, creating Moodie’s score and touching down himself. Deservedly named player of the match. 9
10 Johan Goosen: A timely return from injury for the fly-half, who showed all his experience to put the Bulls in a strong position at the break. Lost a bit of control after the interval, however, and was duly replaced. 7
9 Embrose Papier: Wonderful performance from the scrum-half, who deserves to be in the Springboks reckoning – his absence is a rare Rassie Erasmus oversight. Papier’s kicking was accurate and service was quick, but most of all he was a real threat around the fringes, playing a key role in Kriel’s decisive try. 9
8 Cameron Hanekom: By his high standards, it was an off day for the number eight. Played his part in the Bulls’ thrilling start but was yellow-carded for tipping Siya Kolisi onto his head before going off injured. 6
7 Ruan Nortje (c): Has revelled in the move to the back-row and produced arguably his best performance since the switch. Massive in the lineout and on defence, where he was the game’s second top tackler with 17. 8
6 Marcell Coetzee: Another player to produce a fine defensive shift as they withstood a Sharks barrage but his yellow card was partly why the visitors managed to get on top. 6
Set-piece dominance
5 JF van Heerden: Some excellent work in the lineout with the youngster their go-to man, while Van Heerden also put himself about in the loose. 6
4 Cobus Wiese: Immense performance from the big man. Did all the fundamentals well but Wiese’s defensive work was exceptional while he also roamed around in the loose and set up Kriel’s try with a well-timed pass. 9
3 Wilco Louw: Facing Ox Nche is perhaps the toughest assignment any tighthead could have, but Louw passed it with flying colours. Had the Sharks going into reverse during his stint on the field as the Bulls dominated the set-piece. 8
2 Johan Grobbelaar: Like Papier, very unfortunate not to be in the Springboks squad. Grobbelaar was once again superb in both the set-piece and the loose, laying a fine platform for the backs to work off. 8
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: In an all-Springboks front-row battle, it was Wessels and co. who dominated. The loosehead tore into Vincent Koch and put himself in the conversation for regular game time with the Boks this year. 8
Replacements: Most of the good work came from the starters, but the bench did its bit to close out the match. There were worrying signs for the hosts as the Sharks came back into the match, but they just did enough to see the game out and take them into the URC final against Leinster. Marco van Staden was notably excellent. 6
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/bulls-player-ratings-dominant-front-row-sends-springboks-stars-into-reverse-as-rassie-erasmus-in-rare-oversight-with-wonderful-playmaker
