Bulls qualify for Champions Cup last 16 after win over Bordeaux

In the end it was nervy business for the Bulls but what the heck, the job was done. 

They won by six points and that won't matter much much for coach Jake White and his men as they have secured a place in the last 16 of the Champions Cup with this close 46-40 win over Bordeaux Bègles. 

Because of their sloppiness at times, the Bulls allowed Bordeaux to claw their way back into this match that was played in front of just over 10,000 spectators. 

The Bulls went to the break leading 26-12 and having scored four of the two tries but Bordeaux came back strong in the second half to score four of their own to ensure a nervy end to the match. 

This exciting match produced 12 tries, six from both sides, and a statement by the Bulls of their ambitions even though they there is still a lot of work to be done before they are a finished article. 

The Bulls were able to soak up the pressure late in the second half and negotiated their way to this important victory against one of the top teams in the competition. 

Bordeaux arrived in the capital on a red-hot winning streak having won their last six matches in all competitions against teams like Saracens, Bayonne, Clermont, Lyon, Bristol and Connacht. 

The French side had already qualified for the knockout stages but there was an important box to tick by the Bulls who needed one point to qualify for the knockout stage. 

The party was started by Bulls captain Marcel Coetzee with the first try of the match after five minutes but he was cancelled out by Romain Buros shortly afterwards. 

The Bulls pulled away after 12 minutes through a try on the far side by winger Devon Williams who is making a strong case for a permanent contract at Loftus as he has joined them from the Pumas on a short-term loan. 

Williams’ short contract with the Bulls is set to come to expire before the start of the Currie Cup season in July but judging by his performances White may want him to stay longer. 

One of his advantages of his versatility at the back where he can also provide cover for Springbok legend Willie le Roux who is going to sit out some of the matches to manage his workload. 

Last weekend, Williams caught the eye with a man-of-the-match performance in Bulls’ dominant win over Bristol Bears at and he was again in his element against the French visitors. 

Build up to this match was dominated by how Bordeaux was going to cope in the Pretoria heat and altitude and they appeared to be struggling as they took their water breaks covered by umbrellas. 

The usage of umbrellas after the first break in the 26th minute did not have the desired effect as Bordeaux conceded the third try when Bulls skipper Coetzee forcing his way over the line for his second. 

By this stage the Bulls were in control of the game but poor discipline reared it’s ugly head with after 21 minutes when Gerhard Steenkamp was sent to the sin bin and Adam Coleman scored their second in his absence. 

It was a try fest on the second half with Bulls scoring through Willie le Roux and Embrose Papier while Bordeaux scored from Madosh Tambwe, Tevita Tatafu, Paul Abadie, and Matéo Garcia.