The old rugby cliché of a tale of two halves could not have been more appropriate to describe the Bulls’ night in Swansea, but they still emerged with a 29-19 bonus-point win over the Ospreys to remain unbeaten in the United Rugby Championship.
A red card to centre David Kriel in the 50th minute – for leading with the arm into the neck of an Ospreys player – stopped an impressive Bulls assault on the Welsh outfit that yielded four tries in just 23 minutes and a 26-5 halftime lead.
So dominant were the Bulls that even early in the second half, their scrum resembled a driving maul as they drilled the Ospreys backwards with dramatic effect.
But it all ground to a halt as two minutes after Kriel was sent off, star No 8 Elrigh Louw was yellow-carded for a supposed deliberate knock-down, when it looked like the Springbok loose forward had made an attempt to catch the ball.
A third card – a yellow to loosehead replacement Alulutho Tshakweni for making head contact in a tackle – in the 72nd minute added to the Bulls’ angst, but they held on for all five log points.
It was one-way traffic in the first half, though, as Jake White’s team made an accomplished start. It took them just three minutes to open the scoring, with wing Sebastian de Klerk picking up a loose ball and finding centre Canan Moodie, before Elrigh Louw charged over.
Then a Bulls double strike came within three minutes as first Kurt-Lee Arendse rounded off a Moodie line-break – following Willie le Roux’s razor-sharp pass – and then the try of the match came from scrumhalf Embrose Papier.
Moodie 🤝 KLA
The Vodacom Bulls are tearing Ospreys to shreds 💪💪
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/7uOTJ3YeTl
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 12, 2024
The quick-silver No 9 broke past Justin Tipuric off the back of a lineout around the halfway line and motored into the right corner for a stunning touchdown, and it was 19-0 in 14 minutes for the visitors.
The all-Bok front row of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw also wore down their Ospreys counterparts, while fullback Le Roux – the official Player of the Match – delivered a masterclass in backline play to send a clear message to national coach Rassie Erasmus that he is in top shape to earn his three caps on the November tour to the UK to make it to 100 Tests.
Le Roux called the shots all night long with a couple of inch-perfect kicks and combined smartly with the likes of Arendse, De Klerk and flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain.
Just after Kriel was held up over the Ospreys line, the Bulls’ bonus-point fourth touchdown came in the 23rd minute when Le Roux’s cross-kick bounced up for Arendse to dive onto, which made it 26-0.
Even though Ospreys hooker Dewi Lake pulled one back a few later from a lineout drive, the Bulls were in total control, with Marcell Coetzee denied a five-pointer on the stroke of halftime due to a knock-on just before he placed the ball on the line.
But the drama started when Kriel carried the ball up and used his arm to fend off a tackler, but he made contact with the neck and Irish referee Eoghan Cross deemed it worthy of a straight red card.
David Kriel is sent off 🟥
What are your thoughts on this moment? 👇
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/Bh0Sjwv4ol
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 12, 2024
When Elrigh Louw followed Kriel off the pitch soon after, the Bulls were suddenly left scrambling in defence, and wing Ryan Conbeer finished on the left after a bruising charge by captain Jac Morgan.
The Bulls’ accuracy and efficiency from the first half was replaced by a jittery spell and a few unforced errors, but they were rescued a few times by replacement No 8 Cameron Hanekom at the breakdowns.
Cameron Hanekom wins the penalty 🔥
The Vodacom Bulls beat Ospreys despite being down to 14 👏🐂#VURC pic.twitter.com/4p6CEKjZJs
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 12, 2024
Tshakweni’s yellow in the closing stages didn’t help the Bulls’ cause either, but apart from conceding a late try to Ospreys No 8 Morgan Morris, the Pretoria side got the job done.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 29 – Tries: Elrigh Louw, Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Embrose Papier. Conversions: Boeta Chamberlain (3). Penalty: Chamberlain (1).
Ospreys 19 – Tries: Dewi Lake, Ryan Conbeer, Morgan Morris. Conversions: Dan Edwards (1), Jack Walsh (1).
