Bulls romp home at Loftus

The Bulls did exactly what you might have expected against the team second from bottom on the United Rugby Championship points table at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

However, in romping home 63-24 against Zebre Parma they still left teasing questions about their candidacy to go the distance in this competition.

Sure, they racked up more than 60 points but the scoreline perhaps reveals as much about the Bulls' potency in attack as it does the visitors' feebleness in holding their defensive lines.

After scraping through against Leinster's much weakened team last weekend, one could make the counter argument that the Bulls delivered the right response in an attacking sense, especially in the second half. They were, without doubt, irresistible in the final quarter.

The performance they delivered earlier was a little less compelling.

The Bulls are loose, far from the cohesive unit that will be required to win this competition. They may yet have time to tighten their approach and application in key moments, but it has been a recurring theme of their performances at home that they are not just prone to soft moments, but passages.

Playing with sustained intensity for 80 minutes will be non-negotiable when the competition reaches its business end but the Bulls continue to pitch up sleeveless and in slops.

That was again evident against Zebre Parma who gleefully lapped up every stray flake that escaped the Bulls' cheeseboard.

Ultimately however the grate and grind of the Bulls pack took its toll as Zebre struggled to stand their ground. The hosts' forwards generally had the better of the collisions but it was in the scrums where they established a clear advantage.

Despite that the Bulls held a clear advantage on the scoreboard at the break, they were disjointed.

Scrumhalf Zak Burger fell short in both precision and decisiveness but at flyhalf Keagan Johannes exuded calmness. He banged over seven conversions to earn the man of the match award.

Despite not firing on all cylinders the Bulls had enough going for them to score three tries before Sergeal Petersen delivered a telling 50/22 in the 33rd minute. That helped set up their bonus-point try when the dynamic Jan-Hendrik Wessels peeled away and used his brute strength to crash over.

The Bulls took a 28-10 advantage into the break and there was an upswing in output from the hosts after the break. The Bulls' bench brought an uncluttered, if not uncomplicated approach with replacement forwards Akker van der Merwe and Marco van Staden leading the charge. Later Ruan Nortje brought calm to the second row.

Van der Merwe delivered his customary injection of urgency, while Van Staden contested with familiar fervour.

Crucially too, behind the pack substitute scrumhalf Embrose Papier brought greater clarity to the Bulls' battle plan.

But just as the Bulls appeared to firm their grip on proceedings a yellow card to lock RF van Heerden momentarily knocked them out of their stride. He shoved an opponent to the ground and while the victim stayed down as if he was in the Serie A, Van Heerden's action drew a sharp reaction with several players getting involved in shoving contests.

The Bulls regathered themselves and ended the game with the kind of poise and precision they should really strive for across 80 minutes.

Scorers

Bulls (28) 63 — Tries: Sergeal Petersen (2), Zak Burger, Stravino Jacobs, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Harold Vorster, David Kriel. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (7), Boeta Chamberlain (2).

Zebre (10) 24 — Tries: Jacopo Trulla, Giovanni Montemauri, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo. Conversions: Montemauri (2), Giocomo Da Re. Drop goal: Allesandro Fusco.