Pretoria - It took all of 62 minutes on a frustrating night, but it was job done for the Bulls as they scored their fourth try to secure a bonus point in a 29-17 victory over the Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night.
The win sent the Pretoria side rocketing up from eighth to second position on 53 points on the United Rugby Championship log at the time of writing – although several other teams are yet to play this weekend.
Cyle Brink’s touchdown after the hour mark would have brought great relief to coach Jake White as his team had battled to find their rhythm up to that point.
It was an inauspicious opening 40 minutes, in fact, as the Bulls produced arguably their worst first half of 2022. Almost nothing seemed to go right – they lost a few lineouts, conceded scrum penalties, lost possession at least four times when inside the Glasgow 22 and hardly troubled the Scottish side’s defence.
ALSO READ: Lions hoping to give Burger Odendaal fitting farewell against Benetton
The visitors set the tempo early on with some incisive running between their backs and forwards as they stretched the Bulls tacklers, with No 8 Jack Dempsey and tighthead prop Zander Fagerson prominent.
They got their reward in the fifth minute when a well-constructed lineout maul ended up in a penalty try and a yellow card to Bulls No 8 Elrigh Louw for collapsing.
The home side played in fits and starts, and one good passage – sparked by strong carries from captain Marcell Coetzee and industrious lock Ruan Nortje – set up an easy try for scrumhalf Zak Burger to level the scores at 7-7.
But the Bulls’ unforced errors held them back, and Glasgow flyhalf Duncan Weir slotted a penalty to put his side in front again.
Morné Steyn made things equal with a three-pointer of his own, and once the 30-minute mark was reached, the Glasgow side tried to slow the game down as often as possible as the effects of altitude started to take its toll.
.@marcell_coetzee drew them all in 🎣@Vodacom #URC | @BlueBullsRugby | #BULvGLA pic.twitter.com/oOn4IhZVmJ
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) April 29, 2022
It became such an obvious tactic that Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli had strong words with the Glasgow team doctor after flank Rory Darge went down once more to receive treatment and strapping on his knee.
Steyn then missed a simple goal-kick just before the break, but soon after that, Fagerson was yellow-carded for repeated infringements, and the Bulls took full advantage as Madosh Tambwe finished off following a typically belligerent surge up the middle by Louw.
The Bulls lacked intensity at the start of the second half as well, and White would have wondered if it was going to be a forgettable night when Tambwe’s second touchdown was ruled out by TMO Marius van der Westhuizen, who ruled that the No 11 was in front of Lionel Mapoe, who delivered an excellent grubber.
But suddenly the Bulls put the game beyond doubt within three minutes as lock Walt Steenkamp ran a lovely line close to a ruck to score, and then replacement loose forward Cyle Brink used his significant size and strength to force his way over.
The result was settled at 29-10 with 18 minutes left, and a consolation try to Glasgow fullback Ollie Smith had little effect on the final outcome.
Points-Scorers
Bulls: 29 – Tries: Zak Burger, Madosh Tambwe, Walt Steenkamp, Cyle Brink. Conversions: Morné Steyn (3). Penalty: Steyn (1).
Glasgow: 17 – Tries: Penalty Try, Ollie Smith (1). Conversion: Ross Thompson (1). Penalty: Duncan Weir (1).