Staff Reporter.
Vodacom Bulls outclassed the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday to deservedly secure a place in the Rainbow Cup North vs South final against Benetton Treviso.
Bulls needed only a single bonus point from the encounter to progress to the title decider at the Stadio di Monigo after producing a classy second-half performance to ultimately cruise to a resounding 34-22 win.
Most attention would have been on Marcell Coetzee, who is effectively on standby following the injury to Duane Vermeulen. Compared to last weekend’s stunning Bulls debut for the back rower, this was a much quieter performance, but he was industrious on defence and solid when it came to receiving the kick-offs.
Morne Steyn controlled proceedings superbly on a night to forget for Curwin Bosch, while Bulls opensider Marco van Staden also demonstrated why he has earned a call-up to the national squad despite serving a period in the sin bin.
Yet again, Cornal Hendricks also looked all class, and would have particularly brought a smile to the face of onlookers when he had to pack down at flank and celebrated a scrum penalty after the Bulls had been reduced to 14 men. However, his real highlight was another memorable solo try in the first stanza.
In a largely forgettable first half that was far from free-flowing, it was the Bulls who somehow hung on to a 13-10 lead.
One try against the run of play, albeit an impressive effort from Hendricks, was the one highlight for the visitors as he outpaced Curwin Bosch in a dash for the line after a chargedown.
However, the Sharks would have been left lamenting missed opportunities. In search of a bonus-point victory, the home side had more than enough opportunities, but key errors in the red zone proved costly.
The Bulls came out after the break and asserted their authority through percentage play. Dawid Kriel scored through a quick tap, and while the Sharks responded through a try to Siya Kolisi, the Bulls hit back immediately with a set-piece special as Stravino Jacobs finished off a lineout move to extend the lead to 27-15.
On the hour mark, Janko Swanepoel scored his side’s fourth try and secured the required bonus point for the Bulls to secure progression to the Rainbow Cup final with 20 minutes still to play.
Meanwhile the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA match between the Emirates Lions and DHL Stormers, scheduled for Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, has been cancelled in line with Covid-19 protocols.
The decision was taken as part of prescribed precautions advised by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) to limit the risk of further infection in the rugby community.
The decision was triggered on Friday following receipt of positive results from scheduled testing of the Emirates Lions squad. As determined by the competition rules, the DHL Stormers will be awarded four log points because of the cancellation.
“The Emirates Lions have followed all protocols and taken all the appropriate steps,” said Jurie Roux, SA Rugby CEO.