CAPE TOWN – Phew! It looked like the Bulls’ worst nightmare was continuing at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, but they showed real character to hold on for a workmanlike 32-27 Currie Cup victory over the tough-tackling Pumas.
To add to the joy for the home side, they were also able to secure a four-try bonus point through replacement fullback David Kriel’s touchdown with nine minutes to go.
The result would’ve brought great relief to coach Jake White following the forgettable Rainbow Cup final loss to Benetton in Italy last weekend, while a makeshift Bulls side also went down to Western Province in the Currie Cup on the same day at Loftus Versfeld.
5 points secured 🐃#TrueToTheBlue #BULvPUM pic.twitter.com/wOHI5x9qqR
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 25, 2021
White said before the match that the Pumas were always tough opponents, particularly as they have a point to prove against the Bulls as many of their players come from Pretoria – while the hosts also had to travel back from Treviso.
And so it was on Friday night, as the men from Mpumalanga rushed the Bulls into errors from the start with their all-encompassing defence and clever attacking style of play.
The Pumas even enjoyed the early advantage in the scrums, and they benefited through an Eddie Fouché penalty after 12 minutes.
But after absorbing all the pressure, the Bulls roared back through a wonderful try from new centre Harold Vorster, who chipped ahead and gathered his own kick to score.
The Bulls pack seemed to find their rhythm the longer the game went on, and were able to impose themselves physically on the Pumas.
The home side lost fullback Gio Aplon to what looked like an ankle injury, and he was replaced by Kriel, but they kept plugging away and were rewarded with 10 further points before halftime.
Flyhalf Chris Smith slotted a penalty, and then produced a sparkling piece of play that saw Cornal Hendricks in space out wide, and he fed wing Madosh Tambwe, who showed tremendous pace to evade two defenders that set up a 17-3 halftime lead.
But Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse’s men never gave up, and clawed their way back into the game through a mixture of old-style hard work and smart tactics on attack.
Left wing Etienne Taljaard rounded off after a superb tackle-busting run by right wing Tapiwa Mafura to reduce the deficit to 17-10.
Smith, though, stretched the lead with another penalty for the Bulls, who then moved into overdrive with a classy passage of play, with Hendricks going down the blindside to dot down.
It looked like the game was over at 25-10, but again the Pumas hit back. Flyhalf Eddie Fouché chipped ahead and the ball bounced awkwardly for Stravino Jacobs, and it landed perfectly for Fouché to score.
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Suddenly the visitors were right back in it, and a few minutes later, they pulled off the try of the match as a long pass from Fouché found a flying fullback Devon Williams, who shrugged off Hendricks’ tackle and spun the ball wide for Mafura to cross the whitewash.
It was anybody’s game at 25-24 to the Bulls with 15 minutes to go, but they maintained their composure to close out the victory.
Captain Marcell Coetzee broke from a scrum, and brilliant handling on the inside saw Kriel grab the bonus-point try.
Fouché slotted a late penalty to make it an exciting finish, but the Bulls scrambled superbly in defence and won a breakdown penalty to clinch the win.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 32 – Tries: Harold Vorster, Madosh Tambwe, Cornal Hendricks, David Kriel. Conversions: Chris Smith (3). Penalties: Smith (2).
Pumas 27 – Tries: Etienne Taljaard, Eddie Fouché, Tapiwa Mafura. Conversions: Fouché (3). Penalties: Fouché (2).
IOL Sport