Following a thrilling United Rugby Championship (URC) clash between the Bulls and Lions which ended in a 31-19 victory for the hosts, we have selected our winners and losers.
Winners
Willie le Roux
There was rightly criticism after last weekend’s loss to the Sharks but it was a much-improved performance from the Bulls veteran. Le Roux was particularly impressive, showing his playmaking class from the start as they quickly moved into a 17-0 advantage.
They were going at a point-a-minute at one stage and the fly-half was at the heart of their blistering opening. Le Roux‘s wide passing game stretched the Lions‘ defence while his decision-making was generally sound. He was rewarded with a try and an assist as the Springboks great finally showed that he could well be the team’s pivot going forward after his shocker in the previous game.
Bulls props
The likes of Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw could conceivably be here every week given the dominance they seem to garner on a consistent basis. This time it was the Lions props who were like lambs to the slaughter as the Bulls once again marched forwards with regularity.
Although the visitors were reasonably solid at the start of the match, the Bulls’ pressure was relenting and, once the dam broke, the Lions duly conceded penalty after penalty. Such is the continued excellence of Steenekamp and Louw, Rassie Erasmus should consider starting them together for the Springboks when their Test season begins.
Marco van Staden
The flanker looked understandably rusty in last weekend’s defeat to the Sharks having returned after over two months out, but he was in fine form in the victory on Saturday. Van Staden was huge in defence, leading the way on the tackling front, while he was a nuisance at the breakdown.
Equally, the flanker was busy with the ball and made a number of carries, most of those at close quarters, as the Bulls dominated the gain line. He was duly rewarded with a second-half try for his efforts, a score which effectively took the game out of the visitors’ reach.
Edwill van der Merwe
It may have ended in a disappointing loss for the Johannesburg outfit, but the outstanding wing once again showed up well. In 2024, Van der Merwe followed Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse in becoming the latest scrum-capped wing to represent the Springboks and he has gone from strength-to-strength since then.
The 28-year-old was particularly excellent in the first half, showing up well on both sides of the ball. Van der Merwe is not just effective in attack – although it is a huge part of his armoury – as he also reads the game very well. He was slightly quieter with the ball after the break but the Test wing still did the basics impressively.
Jake White
The Rugby World Cup-winning head coach has had plenty of criticism over the past 12 months but, whenever there has been a setback this season, they have tended to respond well. There was huge disappointment after their loss to the Sharks, but those issues were corrected this week as they were much more clinical.
Once again, the front five did their job but this time the backline joined them. You have to give some credit to White for that as they rectified where it went wrong versus the Durban outfit. The Bulls sealed their eighth URC victory of the season which moved them closer to Glasgow Warriors in second position.
Reinhardt Ludwig
The Sharks loss was also a big learning curve for the young captain, whose decision-making contributed to that result. The Bulls had so many chances last weekend but they kept on going for the corner, which often yielded the same result.
While the Durban outfit’s defence had to be credited, Ludwig continually took the same option when it wasn’t working. This week, however, the Pretoria side changed it up, went for more taps and it duly paid off.
Losers
David Kriel
The Springboks hopeful has been one of the Pretoria-based outfit’s star performers this season and although he was solid in this encounter, his effort wasn’t of a similar standard which he usually produces.
While the rest of the Bulls’ backline looked dangerous on attack, with the likes of Le Roux, Stedman Gans and Canan Moodie leading the way, Kriel did not ask too many questions of the Lions defence while he also missed some routine kicks at goal.
Celimpilo Gumede
The Bulls number eight had big boots to fill as he came into the run-on side as a replacement for highly rated Springbok Cameron Hanekom and Gumede caught the eye with a fine effort. He was particularly effective on attack in the opening half when he took the fight to the Lions with some strong carries.
However, things went pear-shaped for him after the interval when he sustained a foot injury which forced him off the field.
The timing of the injury was bad as Gumede looked impressive and will be hoping it’s not too serious as the competition for places in the Bulls back-row is tough with several other outstanding rivals waiting in the wings to take over.
Henco van Wyk
Another Springboks hopeful who – like Gumede – made a positive impact on this match with a fine attacking performance in the opening half.
The 23-year-old outside centre caught the eye with some fine attacking runs, which kept the Bulls’ defenders on their toes, and his efforts were rewarded in the 21st minute when he crossed for his team’s first try.
However, the Lions star did not come out for the second half due to an unspecified injury and hopefully he makes a speedy recovery as he is a vital cog in the Lions machine.
Lions
After registering an impressive victory over the Stormers last week, the Johannesburg-based outfit had to follow it up with a similar display against the Bulls if they wanted to move up the table and improve their chances of making the URC’s play-offs.
However, they could not reproduce that form as they committed far too many unforced errors which the Bulls capitalised on and, in the end, they were deserved winners. Unfortunately, the Lions gain zero points from this match and are still languishing in 12th position in the standings after 10 matches played.
Quan Horn
The Springboks full-back came into this encounter after a delivering an excellent attacking performance against the Stormers last week but, unfortunately, he could not replicate that effort in this clash.
Although Horn had some good attacking moments, he was kept in check by the home side’s defence and had little influence on the game’s outcome.
Just before half-time, he was also yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul and the Bulls took full advantage of their numerical advantage as Moodie crossed for a try during Horn’s time off the pitch.
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