Cape Town - It was easy on the eye and pretty effective rugby as the Bulls' forwards and backs mixed up their play perfectly to thoroughly humiliate United Rugby Championship log-leaders Leinster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The home side ran in four tries before halftime and five more after the break to complete a comprehensive 62-7 victory that propelled them, they will hope it's not briefly, up the log of the competition.
Depending on what happens in the late matches on Saturday between the Sharks and Munster and Connacht and Glasgow Warriors, the Bulls can find themselves in the top six to avoid a clash with Irish giants Leinster and Ulster in the quarter-final.
The Loftus team practically wrapped up the game against Leinster at halftime (31-0) already when hooker Johan Grobbelaar scored the fourth try for the bonus point.
Before him, Springbok Kurt-Lee Arendse scored twice after some good work by the backs and forwards to get them into striking distance.
Fullback Arendse combined brilliantly with his winger Canan Moodie and magic happens every time the two Paarl-born speedsters are in sync. Moodie put in a brilliant grubber that bounced just right for Arendse to collect for his second try.
This move came after eighth man Elrigh Louw intercepted the ball in his own half, sprinted through, kicked a grubber himself and turned the ball over in the process.
There is no catching Canan Moodie once he get going ⚡
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Louw along with captain Ruan Nortje and hooker Grobbelaar stood out in their hardworking pack of forwards in the first half but by the end of the game, it was a total domination by the Bulls' forwards including those who came off the bench.
Arendse and Moodie were excellent in the back, and they ignited the spark that set centres Stedman Gans and Harold Vorster, together with left winger David Kriel alight.
Flyhalf Johan Goosen also looked sublime on the attack, while his kicking off the tee was almost spotless. It helped that almost all the Bulls' five-pointers were scored under or close to the poles.
The Bulls started the second half off the way they finished the first half, with a Grobbelaar try, after barely two minutes of play. This started the capitulation of Leinster as the floodgates opened and the visitors had no response to the attacking flair of the Bulls.
Arendse, Grobbelaar and Moodie all scored braces, while Nortje, Gans and Vorster scored the rest of the nine tries.
It's a try-fest at Loftus Versfeld as the Vodacom Bulls race to a 31-0 half-time lead against Leinster 🐂![CDATA[]]>🔵
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 22, 2023
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With the Bulls leading 62-7 with about 20 minutes of play left, Bulls coach Jake White had the luxury of ringing the changes, but that disrupted the momentum of the team.
It did give the replacements, who normally do not see so many minutes on the field, to get a good run against Leinster who defended for their lives even after conceding 62 points.
The home side attacked to get the 10th try but in the end, a knock-on right in front of the try line prevented them from doing so.
But, White will be happy with the win even if it was not against Leinster's full-strength team.
The Bulls snapped the Irish clubs' winning streak, dealing them their first loss of the current URC season. Leinster only failed to beat the Bulls and fellow South African side and defending URC champions, the Stormers, who they drew with earlier this year.
The clinical win will certainly boost the confidence of the Loftus side ahead of the quarter-finals where they will travel to their opponents for the playoff match.
Points scorers
Bulls 62 (31) - Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Johan Grobbelaar (2), Canan Moodie (2), Ruan Nortje, Stedman Gans, Harold Vorster. Conversions: Johan Goosen (7). Penalty goal: Goosen.
Leinster 7 (0) - Try: Michael Milne. Conversion: Sam Prendergast.
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