Bulls wing Kurt-Lee Arendse scores a try during the United Rugby Championship match against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images The Bulls got revenge for their United Rugby Championship (URC) loss at Loftus late last year, as they emphatically smashed the Lions 52-17 in a one-sided cross-Jukskei derby at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. The Lionswere chasing a bit of history, after beating 43-33 in the first Jukskei derby in November, but produced a dismal performance to be stampeded over by the Bulls, who will now feel they are truly back on track after a poor start to the season.
Springbokflyhalf Handre Pollard, who has been under fire due to some poor recent performances, didn’t start well, but improved steadily over the match and ended up contributing 15 points through five conversions and try for a solid showing in the end. It was a back and forth start to the match, but the Bulls were more in the ascendancy and that saw them strike first. They kicked a penalty intothe Lions22m and attacked off the lineout, with them getting close for inside centre Harold Vorster to pick up at a ruck and bash his way over for the converted score in the 10thminute.
In the 15thminute Bulls wing Kurt-Lee Arendse then received a yellow card for a poor contest from an up and under that took out Lions wing Richard Kriel. But the home team were unable to utilise the 10 minutes with a man advantage, with only a 22ndminute penalty from flyhalf Chris Smith to show for it. The Bulls then kicked into high gear in the final 10 minutes of the half to pull away to a big lead at the break.
Read Full Article on The Citizen
[paywall]
First in the 31stminute the visitors again setup a lineout in the 22m and attacked, going through the phases before hooker Johan Grobbelaar picked up and crashed over to make it 12-3. It was then a disastrous final two minutes of the half, as the Bulls first broke into the Lions 22m and got close, with Pollard receiving the ball at pace and going over, before converting his own try. From the kick-off the Lions tried to launch a final attack, only for wing Angelo Davids to throw an intercept pass for Bulls outside centre Stedman Gans to snaffle and break, with the ball going through the hands and ending with Arendse going over for the converted score to make it 26-3 at the break.
[/paywall]
