Following a superb 52-17 victory over the Lions in the United Rugby Championship clash at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.
15 Devon Williams: One stunning 50/22 kept the pressure on the visitors and put his side on the front foot. Had the odd foray with ball in hand but it was an all-round solid performance. 6
14 Stravino Jacobs: Wore 14 but played on the left wing where he had his moments in attack, while also catching well in the vital aerial game as the Bulls dominated most facets. 6
13 Stedman Gans: Handed a rare start but the 28-year-old was excellent, defending well by drifting across and shutting down the dangerous Lions out wide while also offering a threat with ball in hand. That included a lovely run and off-load in the build-up to Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try. 8
Return to form
12 Harold Vorster: Set the tone for both him and the Bulls with a well-finished score before doing some fantastic work on both sides of the ball. Was instrumental in their dominant display in what was a return to form. 9
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Grabbed a try and look threatening on other occasions but he’s still searching for his best after returning from injury recently. Arendse rarely drops below a certain standard, however, and he still contributed plenty in this impressive win. 7
10 Handre Pollard: One kick went out on the full from the restart but the fly-half was otherwise pretty faultless. Pollard guided his team around the field excellently and also linked the attack nicely. 9
9 Embrose Papier: Perhaps the unluckiest player in South Africa, with his form over the past two years deserving of at least one cap, but despite those setbacks, Papier continues to produce for the Bulls. Accurate box-kicking and real tempo from the base as the visiting scrum-half never let the Lions defence rest in a fantastic display. 9
8 Jeandre Rudolph: Has been their best player this season and once again the number eight produced a fine performance in Johannesburg. Rudolph wasn’t the one-man wrecking ball he has been in previous games, but he didn’t need to be, as he actually got some help from his team-mates this time. 8
7 Elrigh Louw: This is about the time the Springbok was scheduled to be back, so it shows how remarkable his recovery was that this was Louw’s seventh game since returning from that horror injury. The Test flanker is still off his best, but he is getting better and better, and was a ubiquitous presence in his 50 minutes on the field. 7
6 Marcell Coetzee (c): An early turnover told the Lions that they would be in for a difficult day at the breakdown and so it proved with Coetzee part of a Bulls defence that smothered their opponents. 7
Set-piece excellence
5 Reinhardt Ludwig: The Bulls were excellent in most areas, and the set-piece was no different, with the locks nabbing important opposition ball at key times, with Ludwig to the fore. 7
4 Ruan Vermaak: Similar to his second-row partner, Vermaak was good in the fundamentals, but he also stopped a threatening attack with a superb intercept and kick ahead to alter the momentum. 7
3 Wilco Louw: Surprisingly, Louw was not quite as dominant as usual, but that Bulls scrum earned the odd penalty and, as ever, laid a superb platform. 7
2 Johan Grobbelaar: The hooker was everywhere in the loose, winning turnovers and carrying, while the fundamentals were also in place in what was a fantastic shift. 8
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Scrummaging was solid while there was plenty of good work in the loose as the loosehead displayed his mobility around the field. The odd error, but Wessels did his job well. 7
Replacements: The Lions actually started the second period on the front foot and the Bulls looked like they needed a lift, which is what they got from their bench. The front-row continued the good work of the starters while Nizaam Carr and Cobus Wiese were abrasive at close quarters, but the star of the show was arguably David Kriel – the powerhouse back was absolutely superb in the final 20 minutes. 8
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