Following the Bulls’ 34-26 victory over Ulster in the United Rugby Championship, here’s how we rated Johan Ackermann’s charges at Loftus Versfeld.
Bulls player ratings v Ulster
15 Luan Giliomee: The Junior Bok has enjoyed a fine start to the season for the Sharks and now the Bulls, which he continued against Ulster. He had some standout moments, including a fantastic kick in the eighth minute and constantly kept the Ulster defence guessing with his mazy runs. He did concede possession a handful of times, though, which hurts his score. 7
14 Sebastian de Klerk: It’s easy to see why the Springboks coaching team have shown interest in De Klerk. He is lightning quick, but there is more to his game than out-and-out pace. The 26-year-old showed great vision to intercept a pass in the 23rd minute, assisted a try in the first-half too and was excellent in the backfield. 7
13 Sango Xamlashe: The Bulls have found a diamond in the rough from the Currie Cup, with Xamlashe proving that he is more than capable at this level. He made some excellent reads on defence and muscled up against the imposing Stuart McCloskey. It was a terrible sight to see him being carted off the pitch after being knocked out, and we wish him a speedy recovery. 6
12 Harold Vorster: His head-to-head with McCloskey was a tasty one, with neither giving an edge in the collisions. Vorster was guilty of a few missed tackles, but they weren’t too detrimental. 6
11 Cheswill Jooste: His game was ended early due to a failed HIA, which will hopefully not sideline the exciting winger for too long. Jooste had few opportunities to really stretch his legs and flex his rapid pace. He did trouble the Ulster defence on occasion and was solid defensively. 6
10 Handre Pollard: One or two loose passes, but on the whole, it was an effective and accurate showing from Pollard. He executed a brilliant 50:22 on the half-hour mark following a turnover and nailed all of his kicks at goal, which was important too. Dealt well with the injuries occurring around him before making way for Curwin Bosch. It was just the kind of shift you’d expect from a veteran Springbok fly-half. 7
9 Paul de Wet: Wreaked havoc around the fringes for the Ulster defence and beat six defenders for good measure. He fumbled the ball twice at the breakdown in the first half, once under advantage before shifting further into the backline in the second half after Xamlashe and Jooste were forced off. Voted as man of the match. 8
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The forwards
8 Elrigh Louw: Grabbed a try in the first-half; but for all the good Louw did today, his discipline really let him down. He conceded three penalties, including a daft hit off the ball. Has to stamp the latter out of his game in order to become a regular for the Boks again, but he is slowly but surely improving after his devastating injury that threatened to end his career. 5
7 Hanro Liebenberg: The old warhorse produced the kind of performance Leicester Tigers’ fans are well accustomed to: combative, effective and efficient. He is capable of some outrageous plays, but today it was more of the hard graft and abrasiveness in contact. 7
6 Marcell Coetzee (c): Back after a week off in the Investec Champions Cup and the Bulls skipper was quickly in thick of it, grabbing the opening try of the game at the back of a powerful driving maul. He doubled up before the end of the first half, but in the second he got his double hit wrong and spent ten minutes in the sin bin after Ulster scored. Still, a mighty effective shift from the veteran back-rower who punished his former club. 8
5 Reinhardt Ludwig: Quietly effective in everything he did today. Just pure graft and stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle for the most part. 6
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4 Ruan Vermaak: Landed some hefty hits on defence but his real value was at the breakdown and at lineout time, two areas where he was excellent for the Bulls before being replaced by Cobus Wiese. 6
3 Francois Klopper: Not rewarded as much as he deserved to be for his scrum dominance while he was busy around the park, particularly in defence. Threw a gorgeous pass out the back of his hand that he will be raving about for the remainder of the week. Another quality South African tighthead prop and another top performance. 7
2 Johan Grobbelaar: A real threat at the breakdown for the Bulls, winning two crucial turnovers before the hour mark in quick succession. He was pinpoint with his lineout throws and grabbed an important try in the final quarter. Continues to press for more minutes in the Springboks jersey and perhaps Rassie Erasmus will finally reward him this November. 8
1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Like his propping partner, Steenekamp was not rewarded for his superior scrummaging. Busier in the carry than Klopper, where he was quite effective. 7
Replacements: Alu Tshakweni and Khutha Mchunu finally forced the referee’s arm to shoot out in favour of the Bulls at scrum time while Wiese added some good heft in the latter stages. Curwin Bosch stepped up to rob Ulster of what was a deserved losing bonus point. Ultimately, the Bulls bench stepped up in the clutch moments, but it was the visitors who were the better side for the majority of the final quarter. 6
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