Bulls grab runaway win over Province

23 August 2015 - 02:01 By LIAM DEL CARME

The winds of change are sweeping through Loftus and it extends well beyond the new complex the Bulls are erecting next door. Since Frans Ludeke's departure as coach, their playbook has come in for revision under Currie Cup coach Nollis Marais and the Loftus faithful aren't just back, they're loving it.The Bulls now play with width and while in the past they would have been more inclined to run into the embrace of the first defender, they now seek the offload.story_article_left1In all three of their matches thus far, it has taken them a while to tune into that high frequency. But when they did so, around the 50-minute mark, there was no way Western Province could cope with such irresistible force.Province's cast-iron scrum and their predatory skills had placed them in a handy position up to that point but the Bulls blew them away with a game high in precision, power and (dare we say it of them) poise.Jamba Ulengo, Warwick Gelant and Travis Ismaiel revelled in the space afforded to them, but it has to be noted that halfbacks Francois Hougaard and Tian Schoeman helped set the table.The referee's whistle punctuated the opening half as both teams' skills failed to match their ambition. Handling errors were the order of the day but both defences bolted out of the blocks.Before the dramatic turnaround, the hosts were taking a beating in the scrums and it was centurion tighthead Werner Kruger who invited most of the referee's scrutiny.He was withdrawn from the action in the 50th minute and the Bulls' fortunes instantly changed for the better. Kruger had hardly reached the bench when Burger Odendaal broke into the clear before wrong-footing Cheslin Kolbe on the way to the tryline.Kolbe had barely found his feet from the restart when Ismaiel breezed past him for a try that handed the Bulls the lead. They never looked back.SCORERS:Blue Bulls 47 - Tries: Jamba Ulengo (2), Burger Odendaal, Travis Ismaiel, Warwick Gelant Conversions: Tian Schoeman (2) Penalties: Schoeman (5), Louis FoucheWestern Province 29 - Tries: Seabelo Senatla, Dillyn Leyds. Conversions: Demetri Catrakilis (2) Penalties: Catrakilis (5)..

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