Waratahs smash dour Bulls to go top
The Waratahs are not the finished product yet, but they are beginning to show the kind of grunt that will keep them entrenched in the play-off zone.
The biggest concern from the match will be the knee injury suffered by Wallaby Kurtley Beale, who was taken from the field early in the first half after getting his boot caught in the turf and twisting his leg awkwardly.
Beale, who had only just announced signing a lucrative deal to play for Wasps in England next season, fell awkwardly while jumping for a high ball.
Team medics later said Beale may have injured his patellar tendon which, depending on the severity of the injury, could mean months out of the game.
Beale is now unlikely to play for the Wallabies in next month's three-Test home series against England.
The Bulls, apart from rare flashes, looked clueless and reverted back to a dour style that belong in the archives of how not to play the game.
In fact Bulls captain Adriaan Strauss, in his post-match reaction, admitted his team did not pitch up in the second half, which certainly explains their abject performance.
Scrumhalf Nick Phipps scored two tries, laid on the final pass for another try by Dean Mumm before replacement prop Angus Ta'avao clinched the fourth try and a bonus point crashing over under the cross bar in the final minute.
Bernard Foley kicked four conversions and a penalty from six attempts.
The Bulls, beaten 23-6 by the Brumbies in Canberra last week, mounted few attacks in the second half as the Waratahs, led by lock Dave Dennis, took charge.
The win pushed the Waratahs one point clear of the Brumbies in the Australian conference, with the Brumbies having next weekend off and the Sydneysiders facing the Canterbury Crusaders in New Zealand.
"We grew slowly as the game went on, lots of penalties in the first half, so I'm really happy with the end result," Waratahs skipper Michael Hooper said.
"I was happy with our forwards going through the middle and the backs sharpened up so to get a win and a bonus point is most pleasing.
"Pleased we are getting away and home wins now and we face a huge test in the next few weeks against Kiwi outfits, so it's an exciting challenge and the momentum is great at the moment."
Strauss said it was a tough end to a hard three weeks touring in Australia.
"We were in it in the first half and in the second half they got a lot of yards on us and we had to force the play out of areas that we didn't actually want to and it put us under a lot of pressure," Strauss said.
The Bulls return home and will face the Stormers at home next week.
Man of the match: Jessie Kriel is regaining some impressive form, while Jamba Ulengo made the most of a rare start. Locks Rudolf Snyman and Jason Jenkins were valuable workhorses, while flank Pieter Labuschagne also deserves a mention. Bernard Foley directed play like a world class flyhalf should, Michael Hooper was involved in almost everything, while Dean Mumm provided the physical presence that kept the Bulls' brutes at bay. Rob Horne, always a threat with ball in hand, produced some crucial plays with his strong defending. Israel Folau was closely marked, but was good enough to create and set up tries for his teammates - such as Nick Phipps' second score - and for that wins our award.
The scorers:
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Phipps 3, Mumm, Ta'avao
Cons: Foley 4
Pen: Foley
For the Bulls:
Try: Swanepoel
Pen: Schoeman
Yellow card: Jannes Kirsten (Bulls, 78 - cynical foul, collapsing the maul)
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Reece Robinson, 13 Israel Folau, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Will Skelton, 4 David Dennis, 3 Tom Robertson, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Paddy Ryan.
Replacements: 16 Hugh Roach, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Angus Ta'avao, 19 Sam Lousi, 20 Ned Hanigan/Jack Dempsey, 21 Matt Lucas, 22 David Horwitz, 23 Matt Carraro.
Bulls: 15 Sarel Marais, 14 Jamba Ulengo, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Pierre Schoeman, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Roelof Smit, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Dries Swanepoel.
Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant referees: Ben O'Keeffe, James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub