Bulls beat Jaguares in game far from bullish

Based on the drivel served up in the capital city, Pretoria, last night, a #NollisMustFall movement must gain traction if the Bulls want to extricate themselves from their quagmire of mediocrity.

It wasn’t the type to give opponents nightmares. Teams more accurate than the Jaguares will wipe the floor with Nollis Marais’s side.

The empty blue seats were an eyesore and a reminder of the Bulls’ lowly Super Rugby rank. Run of the mill Premier Soccer League matches have attracted more supporters.

Those who decided to make better use of their Easter Saturday did not miss anything important and the diehards who trekked to Sunnyside must demand a refund.

Knowing full well the Jaguares are well versed in street fights, the Bulls fell into the trap. At times, it felt like the Battle of Stalingrad was being relived in the form of a rugby match.

However, the Bulls were decent value for their half-time lead without ever looking to enliven the atmosphere that resembled a morgue.

Travis Ismaiel’s 26th-minute try was a scrappy one set up by an excellent gliding run by Piet van Zyl. The rest of the half was punctuated by aimless sideways running by the hosts while the visitors looked to catch the Bulls on the counter. It is too early to say whether the Bulls are defensively sound but they did well to repel the Jaguares.

An example was how they held out for 11 phases towards the end of the first half even though the Jaguares had a man in the sin bin. Santiago González Iglesias was the culprit this time. Once they found their close-quarters combat mode, the Jaguares tried to wear down the Bulls and through Gonzalo Bertranou’s 50th minute try, they were rewarded.

At times, they over-elaborated and allowed the Bulls to escape. The Bulls eventually found some daylight with Lood de Jager’s 64th-minute try.

Their reasonably strong finish, Handre Pollard’s flawless kicking performance and Trevor Nyakane’s excellent all-round showing did little to mask the Bulls’ deficiencies.

SCORERS

Bulls: (26) — Tries: Travis Ismaiel, Lodewyk de Jager. Conversions: Handre Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (4)

Jaguares: (13) — Try: Gonzalo Bertranou. Conversion: Santiago González Iglesias. Penalties: Iglesias (2)