UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Mike Greenaway|Published
The Bulls were made to look decidedly ordinary by an Ulster side that almost snatched the spoils at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, with the home side labouring to a 34-16 win.
Coach Johan Ackermann will be disappointed in his team’s dip in performance after 50-point wins over Stade Français and the Lions, but he will see it as a wake-up call. To play badly but still win is a bonus.
The Bulls started well enough, but they were awful in the second half. The match was played in blistering heat, and it was Ulster who were supposed to fade in the second half; instead, they grew stronger.
At times the Bulls were wonderfully clinical, but they also had passages of clumsy play.
An example of the good in their game was their opening try after just two minutes. From the second the referee awarded the Bulls a penalty near the centre spot, you could bet a seven-pointer was coming up. And it did. Handré Pollard kicked to the corner, the lineout was taken cleanly, and Marcell Coetzee went over off the back of a precision maul.
Luan Giliomee was starting his second game at fullback, and he showed there is more to his game than elusive running, some of his kicking was exceptional. One kick from his 22 to the Ulster 22 resulted in the Bulls driving over the line, but the ball was held up.
Ulster were up for the fight and came close to scoring, but couldn’t breach the resolute tryline defence.
The Bulls then worked the ball up to the other end of the field where Giliomee almost scored at the corner flag. The Bulls maintained field position, and when they had a free kick close to the line, a try was inevitable, with Elrigh Louw smashing over.
As efficient as the Bulls were in certain areas, they fluffed several try-scoring opportunities, including a forward pass from Pollard to an unmarked Cheswill Jooste.
The flyhalf made up for the error with a brilliant 50-22 kick that set up an attacking lineout in the Ulster 22, and from that situation it was a question of which Bulls forward would score. It happened to be captain Coetzee, for his second.
The Bulls led 21-0 at the 40-minute mark, but Ulster had the final say when slick handling by the backline put right wing Chay Mullins clear for a sprint to the line and a timeous post-hooter score.
The wind was in the Ulster sails, and they scored the first points of the second half when flanker David McCann burrowed over after five minutes of pressure.
The increasing pressure on the Bulls was reflected in a decision to have a shot at goal from a penalty. Pollard duly pushed the score out to 24-14.
The Bulls were suddenly giving away penalty after penalty, and the plucky Irishmen scored again from the gifted possession and territory, with winger Mullins darting over in the corner.
Johan Ackermann had a face of stone in the coaches’ box. His team had gone from 21-0 up to hanging on at 24-19.
The Bulls players must have felt Ackermann’s glare because they responded with a slick phase play to propel Johan Grobbelaar over for a try.
But Ulster hit straight back when centre Stuart McCloskey crashed over under the crossbar to leave the Bulls negotiating a nervous final ten minutes.
Curwin Bosch, on for Pollard, kicked a post-hooter penalty.
Point-scorers
Bulls — Tries: Marcell Coetzee (2), Elrigh Louw, Johan Grobbelaar. Conversions: Handre Pollard (4). Penalties: Pollard, Curwin Bosch.
Ulster — Tries: Chay Mullins (2), David McCann, Stuart McCloskey. Conversions: Jack Murphy (3).