Following Northampton’s 21-30 win over the Bulls in the Champions Cup, here are our winners and losers from Pretoria.
Winners
Bulls front-row
The first half saw the Bulls front-row really take charge of the set-piece against Saints. Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw were really strong in this facet with the former being an absolute beast in open play. The ‘Angry Warthog’ Akker van der Merwe was also industrious in this one.
David Kriel
It is crazy to think he is not a Springbok yet but Kriel adds huge value to the Bulls set-up almost like a third playmaker. He is so comfortable in the backline set-up and makes great decisions throughout. His name is not on the scoresheet but it is the ‘grunt’ work he does in the backline that earns his money.
Bulls back-row
Probably the unit that kept the Bulls in this one with Cameron Hanekom so deadly on both sides of the ball. The Springbok scored two tries at crucial moments that he really shouldn’t have giving the Bulls a chance to stick with Saints. The same can be said about Marcell Coetzee who bust through the first half for a great score. Elrigh Louw didn’t score but was tireless and really impacted open play although his captaincy could be questioned (more on that below).
Henry Pollock
Had to triple-check that he is in fact 19! What a player he is! Pollock was simply outstanding against the Bulls, especially at the breakdown and he certainly didn’t lack physicality against a massive pack in blue. The Englishman looks an old-school style, hard-nosed openside warrior and with the talent he has Test rugby cannot be that far away. Remember the name because he will be around for a very long time.
Alex Mitchell
Class, class and class. Whether kicking accurately from the base or picking his runners he was exceptional. Mitchell controlled the pace of the Saints’ attack very nicely and expertly held the ball up just a bit for Juarno Augustus’s try. The Englishman was pure all game long and made Fin Smith’s life a lot easier as a result. It is easy to see why he is a fan favourite of Steve Borthwick.
Juarno Augustus
Easy to see why his nickname is ‘Trokkie’ given how well he does in the post-contact. Augustus is such a clever player and one who always pops up in the right place as he did for his try. Other than that he faced up to the big Bulls back-row with aplomb and may have given Rassie Erasmus something to think of. Regardless the big man is giving his final season with Saints a big swing and it’s a pleasure to watch.
George Hendy
In rugby many things can be trained by that natural prolific edge is not always a trait that can be. Hendy, in classic fashion, scored pretty much as soon as he was thrown on for his skipper and was effective for the rest of the game. The outside back is supremely talented, and at 22 he will only get better.
Losers
Bulls coaches
Any hair Jake White had left must be gone after that performance that saw the Bulls dominate a lot of the game but failed to convert that to points. We don’t know if it was a premeditated decision not to go for penalties at goal but the Bulls must have left 12 points out there in that regard. Outside of that the poor handling especially after scoring was a serious coach killer as was the try just before half-time that came after Coetzee’s try which would have been crucial if it weren’t for the lapse in concentration. The bottom line is the Bulls should have won that game but in the end were deserved losers.
Johan Goosen
A classic almost game for the Springbok who failed to unlock a neat Saints defence and when he did two of his teammates butchered the grounding unopposed by the visitors. Barring a couple of drop balls it was not that bad a performance but Goosen is a veteran and had quality ball a lot of the game but failed to capitalise. If the Bulls want to be a champion side their game-drivers like Goosen need to do better.
Wilco Louw
We have already praised his scrummaging, which was richly deserved, but the big man could not catch a ball to save his life today with three knock-ons today and some other unsavoury touches. It is not necessarily his job to handle the ball a great deal but that was not good enough in open play.
Bulls bench front-row
The starting front-row monstered the English opponents but the bench players completely lost that intensity for the Bulls and actually ended up conceding more than they won at scrum time. Winning prestigious tournaments like the Champions Cup requires a squad effort and today that didn’t happen.
George Furbank
Incredibly sad to see the skipper go off clutching his shoulder and even more worrying to see him in a sling afterwards. Furbank is the heartbeat of the Saints’ set-up now and he will be missed by the Premiership champions.
Emmanuel Iyogun
The loosehead took an absolute humbling at scrum time and even spent time in the sin bin as a result. It would have been a learning experience for the young prop but fortunately, his replacement in the front-row rescued the set-pice for Saints.
READ MORE: Dan Biggar proposes solution to the currently ‘unmanageable’ South African Champions Cup issue
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/bulls-v-northampton-winners-and-losers-as-outstanding-prodigy-announces-himself-while-jake-white-will-be-left-frustrated
