Last weekend the Bulls lost in Limerick and came home with tired legs and a squad full of questions. On Saturday afternoon in Pretoria they answered all of them. The Bulls v Lions result at Loftus Versfeld was 57-15, nine tries to two, and the Lions, who arrived with two wins from two, went home with their first defeat of the season.
It was decided well before the break. The Bulls led 31-10 at half-time, and the second half only added to the damage.
Bulls v Lions result: how the derby turned
Harold Vorster opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The Lions answered the way they like to, through the pack: flank Siba Qoma finished off a rolling maul in the 17th minute, Rugby365 reported, and Chris Smith converted. For a few minutes it looked like the tight, set-piece arm-wrestle everyone expected.
Then it broke open. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar scored in the 25th minute, and in that same minute Lions scrumhalf Morne van den Berg was shown a yellow card.
Ten minutes a man down, two tries for Hanekom
The next ten minutes settled the derby. Cameron Hanekom scored in the 28th and 34th minutes, both while Van den Berg was in the sin bin, and Smith’s 32nd-minute penalty was all the Lions could manage in reply. Flank Jeandre Rudolph added a fifth try a minute before the break.
Rugby365 reported that Hanekom was named player of the match. For a number 8 in a derby, two tries in six minutes is about as loud as a statement gets.
Hanro Liebenberg, captain of the Bulls for the first time, could hardly have asked for a kinder first afternoon with the armband. Our Bulls v Lions preview set out the team news and what both coaches expected; this was not the close contest either camp talked up.
The second half: the bench finishes the job
Wing Canan Moodie scored three minutes after the restart. Replacement hooker Morne Brandon pulled one back for the Lions in the 49th minute, but the Bulls’ bench soon took over. Handre Pollard came on for Curwin Bosch on the hour and converted all three of the late tries: lock JF van Heerden in the 67th minute, replacement Cheswill Jooste in the 73rd, and wing Sebastian de Klerk in the 80th.
Jooste had an earlier try ruled out for obstruction, according to both Rugby365 and SA Rugby magazine. He did not have to wait long for one that counted.
The numbers behind the rout
The URC’s official match statistics tell the story of a mismatch with ball in hand:
| Bulls | Lions | |
|---|---|---|
| Tries | 9 | 2 |
| Metres made | 514 | 180 |
| Clean breaks | 17 | 1 |
| Carries | 108 | 76 |
| Missed tackles | 16 | 19 |
| Turnovers won | 4 | 8 |
| Penalties conceded | 10 | 8 |
Here is the strange part. The Lions won twice as many turnovers and gave away fewer penalties. They simply could not stop the Bulls once they had the ball, and one clean break in 80 minutes is not enough to win anywhere, never mind at Loftus. If there is a worry for the home side, it is the goal-kicking: Bosch landed three of his six conversions.
What it means for both teams
For the Bulls, this is the response a week after the 26-22 defeat by Munster that we unpacked in our Final Whistle on round 2. A bonus-point win, nine tries and a statement to the rest of the league. Everything about Pretoria’s franchise sits on our Vodacom Bulls page.
For the Lions, the wins over Leinster and the Ospreys still count, and their maul still produced a try. But a long trip north is next, and they will want to forget this one quickly. Their story is on our Lions page.
What comes next
Europe is next for the Bulls: Stade Francais visit Loftus in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday 17 October. The Lions are back in URC action away to Edinburgh on Friday 23 October, kick-off 20:45 SAST. The return derby is in Johannesburg on 5 December, and you can be sure the Lions have that date circled. The rest of the weekend’s kick-offs are in our SA sport fixtures guide.