Following the Bulls’ 55-15 victory over the Dragons, here’s how we rated Jake White’s charges in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld.
Bulls player ratings v Dragons
15 Willie le Roux: A masterful 50 minutes from the veteran full-back on what was an emotional day for him. He was instrumental in tearing the Dragons’ defence to shreds in the first half. He looks in good nick since his injury. 8
14 Sebastian de Klerk: Grabbed a try and set up another. Threatened when he got the ball while the Dragons didn’t test him much on defence. He was one of the many players replaced soon after half-time. 7
13 Canan Moodie: A few uncharacteristic errors from the Bulls star, who looked to force matters on occasion, leading to turnovers. Not a terrible outing but not his best. 5
12 David Kriel: Kick-started the scoring in the fourth minute and went on to have another solid outing for the Bulls. He played a great supporting role to Johannes and the rest of the backs. 7
11 Sergeal Petersen: Grabbed a pair of tries and was a real threat whenever the ball came his way, racking up over 90 running metres. Also beat five defenders as he put his hand up for a place in the matchday squad for the knockout stages. 8
10 Keagan Johannes: Ran an attack that ripped the Dragons apart. He has really stepped up to the plate as a fly-half for the Bulls this season and with Johan Goosen sidelined, he looks primed to start the knockout stages there too. Today, he did not look a makeshift 10 but bossed proceedings. 8
9 Zak Burger: Gave swift, accurate service, ensuring that the platform laid ahead of him was not wasted. Not as flashy as his replacement, Bernard van der Linde but did what was required of him and did it well. 6
The pack
8 Cameron Hanekom: Dominant at the breakdown, excellent in the collisions and gained great metres with the ball in hand. An all-court talent and he showed it during his 50-odd minutes as he continues his bid to become a Springboks regular. If the Bulls are to go on to win the URC, best believe Hanekom will be front and centre of their efforts. 8
7 Ruan Nortje: Whether he is at lock or flank, he gives his all, and today was no different. Another workmanlike shift, highlighted with his offload to send Coetzee over after the hour mark. Ran the lineout well, too. Captain’s knock. 8
6 Nama Xaba: His first game since January and boy did he make his mark with a brilliant breakdown showing. Tireless in defence, though the Bulls didn’t need to do much of that, and effective with the ball in hand. An example of how deep the Bulls’ depth runs. 9
5 JF van Heerden: Worked well in tandem with Nortje at lineout time and threw his weight around nicely on both sides of the ball. 6
4 Cobus Wiese: A real shame to see him head off the pitch injured before the half-hour mark after he grabbed a try for the Bulls. Wiese has been brilliantly brutal up front for White’s men and hopefully his injury is not too serious as he has been key to their play-off charge. 7
3 Mornay Smith: Dismantled the Dragons pack in the scrums. Did what was required of him before White rung the changes, a smart move considering the scoreline and the fact that the Bulls did not train much this week. 7
2 Akker van der Merwe: Two tries for the Angry Warthog, who was accurate at the set-piece and powerful with ball in hand. Couldn’t have asked for much more. 8
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Easy to see why his coach likens him to the great Os du Randt. Another powerful scrummaging display but backs it up with sensational play around the park. A freak athlete. 8
Replacements: White emptied much of his bench early in the second half, and while they took a while to get going, once they did, they blasted the Dragons off the park. Jannes Kirsten did have a lapse on defence, but other than that, the bench was sublime from 16 to 23. 9
READ MORE: John Dobson: Damian Willemse’s red card is a ‘disaster’ as Stormers boss predicts ‘poor’ outcome
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/bulls-player-ratings-os-du-randt-esque-springbok-shines-again-as-bench-blasts-dragons-off-the-park
