Bulls' speedster Canan Moodie tries to tackle Sharks wing Jaco Williams during their United Rugby Championship
Image: Backpagepix
The Bulls continued their winning ways, and the Sharks slipped further into URC oblivion, as the Pretorians hammered the Durbanites 41-12 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.
The Bulls inched their way into the URC top eight with their fourth consecutive victory, while the Sharks have now lost their first two games following JP Pietersen’s appointment as permanent head coach.
The teams felt each other out for the opening 15 minutes before Canan Moodie manufactured a try from nothing. He slipped through a gap out wide, chipped towards the Sharks’ goal-line, and beat the defenders to the bounce.
Handré Pollard uncharacteristically missed the straightforward conversion but made amends in the 25th minute when he nudged a kick out wide into the grateful arms of Sebastian de Klerk; the winger finished with a burst of speed into the corner. Pollard again missed the conversion.
Worryingly, Jordan Hendrikse took a knock to the head in a tackle during the build-up to De Klerk’s try and was carted off the pitch with an oxygen mask attached. It did not look good. Hendrikse was replaced by Ross Braude, the former Canadian international scrumhalf.
The Bulls were on fire, and the 30-minute mark saw Harold Vorster bursting through a gap in the defence near the Bulls’ 22-metre line. He sprinted clear before offloading to the fleet-footed Embrose Papier, whom nobody could catch. Pollard found his range with the conversion for a 17-0 lead.
Once more, the Bulls’ backs combined majestically to invent a try. This time it was De Klerk who showed sublime skill, chipping over the top, regathering his own kick, and offloading to Papier for his second. Pollard missed his third conversion attempt, leaving the Sharks with a glimmer of hope at 22-0 at half-time.
The Sharks needed to strike first in the second half to have any chance, and they did exactly that when Edwill van der Merwe wriggled over. It proved to be "miss-the-conversion day" as Jaden Hendrikse steered his kick wide, but the score looked slightly more respectable at 22-5.
Unexpectedly, the Sharks’ scrum suddenly found its gear, winning two scrum penalties in quick succession thanks to Ox Nché. The Bulls responded by immediately bringing Wilco Louw off the bench, alongside fellow Boks Cobus Wiese and Marco van Staden, while Nché departed.
That did not stop the Sharks from enjoying their best period of the match. They kept pummeling the Bulls’ defence, and it was prop Hanro Jacobs who eventually barged over after countless phases. Hendrikse nailed the conversion, and the Sharks were within ten points at 22-12.
However, the Bulls hit back instantly. Pollard slipped through a half-gap and offloaded to centre Vorster for a dash to the line. Pollard converted, and the deficit returned to 17 points at 29-12. Any hope of a Sharks fightback was completely nullified when substitute scrum-half Paul de Wet bolted through a gap in the Sharks’ 22 and dived over.
At 36-12 with ten minutes to go, the Bulls were over the hills and far away, leaving the Sharks fighting to escape embarrassment. They failed, and their humiliation was complete when Vorster went over for his second try of the evening.
Scorers
Bulls — Tries: Canan Moodie, Sebastian de Klerk, Embrose Papier (2), Harold Vorster (2), Paul de Wet. Conversions: Handre Pollard (3).
Sharks — Tries: Edwill van der Merwe. Hanro Jacobs. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse.