Following the Bulls’ 25-13 United Rugby Championship semi-final victory over the Sharks, here are our five takeaways from the clash at Loftus Versfeld.
Top line
A South African derby that certainly lived up to its billing as the Bulls and Sharks fought tooth and nail for the prized trip to Dublin to tackle Leinster in the URC final in front of a bumper 47,214 crowd.
The Bulls came out firing in the first half and raced into a 15-3 half-time lead thanks to the brilliance of Sebastian de Klerk, who scored the opener and sensationally set up his fellow winger Canan Moodie with a scrumptious crosskick.
However, ill-discipline gifted the visitors a route back into the game with Harold Vorster, Cameron Hanekom and Marcell Coetzee all visiting the sin bin and with the latter two still on the sidelines in the early knockings of the second half, the Sharks finally struck.
Following the order of the day, it was the wingers who crossed the whitewash with Makazole Mapimpi down the flank to score with the ever-impressive Ethan Hooker following suit soon after in the opposite corner.
A Keagan Johannes penalty stretched the Bulls’ lead to 18-13, setting up a mouth-watering final quarter. When Embrose Papier ripped through the Sharks’ defence again with the ball quickly whipped out to David Kriel, who swan-dived over the line, the game was all but done as Johannes knocked over the conversion, which was the final contribution to the scoreline.
When a South African team turns down the opportunity to scrum five metres from your line with a two-man advantage, then it’s plainly obvious just how dominant you have been in that facet of the game.
That is precisely what happened in the latter stages of the first half as Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw had put the Springboks-laden Sharks front row in turbo reverse.
It was a scarily impressive showing from the pack that Jake White has built with the Bulls flexing a traditional strength of theirs and one that will put Leinster on notice.
Louw was particularly brilliant as he got the better of Ox Nche, continuing his outrageous form since joining the Pretoria franchise, while Wessels showed why he is so highly rated, doing a job on veteran Vincent Koch.
As alluded to earlier, the Bulls have historically had a powerhouse scrum, particularly during the Super Rugby heyday, winning three titles and if they are to go one better than they have in their previous URC campaign, then best believe that their scrum will play a pivotal role.
The Sharks did get some parity once the less-experienced front rowers came onto the pitch, but the damage was already done by that point, and a statement was emphatically made.
Sharks undone by their own tactics
“We have got to prepare as though the best team is coming here, and I have said before that’s probably one of the best Sharks teams that’s ever been on paper.”
Those were the words of Bulls boss Jake White in the build-up to the match, and boy, did they prepare well.
The Sharks had one of, if not the, best tactical kicking games in the URC season this season but it did not show today with the Bulls dominating the aerial battle with Papier, Johan Goosen, and Johannes kicking superbly, with Moodie and De Klerk contesting just as well.
That was then paired with a lineout that fired well on the whole, another trait that the Sharks have been good at this campaign.
It was a tactically brilliant performance from the Bulls, who also scrambled well defensively and showed real heart, particularly when down to 13 men. The Sharks comfortably had the Bulls’ number in the regular season, securing the double, but White and his coaching staff clearly did their homework to end that losing streak.
Bulls’ title tilt hinges on discipline
The focus now turns to Dublin as the Bulls hope that it’s third time lucky, but face probably their biggest challenge against a driven Leinster side that put Glasgow to the sword in emphatic fashion.
However, much of their chances will hinge on their ability to keep 15 men on the pitch with the Bulls seeing yellow for the 17th, 18th and 19th time today. While they were able to shut the Sharks out in the latter stages of the first half when they were down two men, it will take a much bigger effort to do so against a ruthless Leinster outfit.
It will not only be disciplined in terms of penalties but also in the execution of their game plan and skills as Leinster are bound to punish every opportunity that comes their way.
Sharks’ season review
It’s plainly obvious that the Sharks enjoyed a much better season in 2024/25 than their last campaign in the URC, as they reached the last four for the last time, but that’s when they fumbled.
Still, there is a palpable feeling of frustration and disappointment with the star-studded squad never really ‘clicking’ all season. Sure, there were several clutch victories during their campaign, particularly in the final knockings of the regular season, which makes it hard to argue against the notion that a change in the coaching team is in order. Heads should roll.
Today, 10 capped Springboks started for the men in black, with a further two on the bench and two new call-ups to Rassie Erasmus’ squad also in the run-on team, but they certainly didn’t play like that today.
But the main issue for the Sharks has been the inability to get the most out of the Springboks-laden squad, with many of those big-name players not producing performances that they have become renowned for, and that has to change.
In stark contrast, White has bemoaned the lack of Springboks plying their trade in South Africa and while the Bulls have multiple big-name players on their roster, it was the less illustrious name of Sebastian de Klerk that shone brightest at Loftus with a simply outrageous performance.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/bulls-v-sharks-five-takeaways-as-scarily-impressive-springboks-lay-down-a-marker-while-heads-should-roll-in-durban
