Ruthless Bulls down Lions in the Jukskei Derby

The ruthless and at times rampant Bulls maintained their claim for a top four spot in the United Rugby Championship with a 35-22 win over the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

They were however drawn from their comfort zone by a feisty Lions team in the middle of the match before reasserting their authority as the clash entered its final quarter.

They did so despite losing influential forwards Ruan Nortje and Elrigh Louw to injury but their more experienced bench with Akker van der Merwe and Willie le Roux in the vanguard, brought an extra dimension.

The Lions took body blows in the first quarter of this match and while they winced, it took them a long time to wilt.

Bulls loose forward Marcell Coetzee crashed into the Lions' midfield in the first minute to set the tone of his afternoon, while No8 Cameron Hanekom again rose to the occasion.

The Bulls enjoyed gainline superiority, with their pack showing greater cohesion and technical proficiency. Their feared scrum dug up the turf here and they feverishly contested the areas of contact. The Lions' cleaners at the ruck had to be on point or risk turnover.

They had a stable platform at the line-out — a claim the Lions cannot make.

In the kicking department the Lions also played second fiddle in the first quarter. Their out of hand kicking lacked vision and precision but by contrast the Bulls profited richly when flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain spotted space inviting left wing Sergeal Petersen to put up the chase down the left flank. Retreating Lions' wing Richard Kriel lacked urgency allowing Petersen to gather.

Kriel's brother David was in support and took Petersen's offload for the game's first try.

Gradually though the Lions who were still standing after taking a few on the chin, made their presence felt.

The Lions reduced the gap with a Sam Francis penalty in the 19th minute as the hosts were starting to string more phases.

Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg was starting to conduct proceedings while Quan Horn's sure-footed interventions aided the hosts' cause.

The Bulls suffered a double whammy around the half-hour mark when Hanekom went off temporarily and Francis added his second penalty.

The Lions kept coming with prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye flank JC Pretorius and centre Henco van Wyk growing more influential as ball carriers.

Having found the Bulls' defence stout and well organised in the opening half-hour, the Lions opted to chip over the onrushing defence and it was Van Wyk whose thrust got him to the ball and his strength his stretching body over the line.

It handed the home team the lead in the 33rd minute but Francis missed a relatively simple conversion and he fluffed his lines again in the final act of the first half when his attempt drifted wide.

With the second half barely three minutes in the Bulls lost Louw who charged headlong into the Lions defence and though he made it past the first defender the second line brought him down with his left knee bending in an unnatural position as he went to ground.

The Bulls' bench made it onto the field and the game opened up.

Francis added his third penalty in the 49th minute but that was immediately cancelled out when Chamberlain banged over his second. Francis quickly added another long-range effort but then the match turned decisively in the Bulls' favour. The Bulls' introduction of Willie le Roux in the 50th minute gave the visitors an extra gear.

Lock Cobus Wiese found a way over to hand the Bulls the lead in the 55th minute.

The Lions' propensity for soft moments cost them again with quarter of an hour to go. Ruan Delport's decision to catch a Le Roux restart that was bound straight for touch again handed the Bulls favourable field position. It helped set up a try for Coetzee before Van der Merwe also got onto the scoresheet.

Scorers

Lions (11) 22 — Tries: Henco van Wyk, Etienne Oosthuizen. Conversion: Sam Francis. Penalties: Francis (4).

Bulls (10) 35 — Tries: David Kriel, Cobus Wiese, Marcell Coetzee, Akker van der Merwe. Conversions: Boeta Chamberlain, David Kriel (3). Penalties: Chamberlain (2), Kriel.