Jake White was a bit irritated by how the Bulls nearly gave away a 27-point lead, but relieved that they held on for a 40-34 victory over United Rugby Championship log leaders Glasgow at Loftus Versfeld yesterday.
On a warm, sunny Pretoria afternoon, the Bulls had done the hard yards to go 37-10 ahead with 18 minutes left as a physical display by the forwards laid the foundation for the four tries scored by Akker van der Merwe, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw and Canan Moodie.
So, with the four-try bonus point already in the bag in the last quarter, the 10 000 spectators at Loftus would have expected a few more touchdowns – but it came from the visitors, who rallied in an incredible comeback in which they scored 21 points in eight minutes.
But a vital late breakdown penalty earned by Nizaam Carr saw Chris Smith slot a crucial three-pointer, although Glasgow secured a second bonus point when Duncan Weir booted one over after the hooter.
“I am not happy. We were probably a bit soft and naive in the way we managed the last 15 minutes,” White said in the post-match press conference.
“That’s just because we were poor. We gave them the ball. Like anything, you can be tired, but if you have a chance to score and win, you find a second wind.
“People run the Comrades (Marathon), and then you’re walking and walking, and once the cut-off time gets closer, you suddenly start jogging again.
“There’s no doubt that altitude played a role. Five times their hooker laid down a few metres from the tryline – that’s because of altitude.
“Part of it was that we gave them the ball and let them grow another leg, which happens in sport.
“But it is definitely an advantage playing at two o’clock at altitude, it is going to catch you. We just probably never used it as best as we could.
“When we had them by the throat, we should have finished them off. In some ways, that’s naivety, inexperience, and the experience of Glasgow understanding that as they have a lot of international players.
There's only 6️⃣ points in it! #BULvGLA | @Vodacom #URC | #KidsRound pic.twitter.com/7tyYn3Fzy4
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“It’s not a concern, but obviously something we have to work on against good teams, as the job is not done until you’ve finished it.
“Once you’ve won it and it’s 37-10, you don’t need to do what you prepared beforehand.
“You’ve done your job... Now you need to manage the last 20 in a completely different way to how you would have played the first 20.”
But the first 62 minutes saw the Bulls play efficient rugby to keep Franco Smith’s team at bay, with a much-improved defence complementing a strong scrum, while the hosts also snatched a few lineouts through Player of the Match Ruan Vermaak and co-captain Ruan Nortjé.
Van der Merwe opened the scoring via a smart lineout move involving Vermaak, and the best Bulls touchdown came through a thrilling Kurt-Lee Arendse line-break that was finished by Elrigh Louw.
It's a K.L.A #KidsRound Special! 🔥#BULvGLA | @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/lknAm4r2i6
The Bulls were second on the URC log on 56 points at the time of going to print, behind leaders Glasgow on 60 – although Leinster and Munster could both go past the Bulls if they won their matches against the Ospreys and Connacht respectively last night.
Next up for the Pretoria side are Italian club Benetton – who beat the Sharks 25-24 in Durban yesterday – at Loftus Versfeld next Saturday.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 40 – Tries: Akker van der Merwe, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Canan Moodie. Conversions: Chris Smith (4). Penalties: Smith (4).
Glasgow 34 – Tries: Matt Fagerson, Kyle Steyn, Sebastian Cancelliere, Duncan Weir. Conversions: George Horne (1), Tom Jordan (1), Weir (2). Penalties: Horne (1), Weir (1).