Second-half rout gives Bulls bonus-point win over Ulster

MATCH REPORT: The Bulls made a massive statement with a 34-16 bonus-point over Ulster in a bruising United Rugby Championship outing at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

It was a dominant second-half performance - in which the Bulls outscored the Irish province by 31-7 - that sealed the win.

The Bulls moved into the top six of the standings and kept alive their hopes of a home quarterfinal.

Ulster held a six-point (9-3) lead at the break, following a first half in which the visitors dominated possession (more than percent) and territory (by the same margin).

The Bulls, forced to make almost double the number of tackles of their opponents, also slipped off 11 tackles. The nine first-half penalties they conceded were another concern for the hosts.

It was a perfect start to the second half for the hosts - a converted try by captain Marcel Coetzee and a penalty by flyhalf Chris Smith - allowing the Bulls to claim the lead for the first time.

A Madosh Tambwe try soon afterwards put the Bulls in a commanding position.

Ulster made a brave attempt at a comeback, but their cause was not helped by a foul-play yellow card to lock Kieran Treadwell - even though that was counterbalanced by a yellow card for the same offence by the Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee.

Chasing the game they made a host of errors, including gifting the Bulls the bonus point with a floated pass that was intercepted by flyer Kurt-Lee Arendse.

* To recap all the drama, CLICK HERE!

Marcell Coetzee emerged as Ulster's chief tormentor by blasting over for the crucial try against his FORMER teammates.

Few thrills were produced in a first half dominated by the defences and the whistle of referee Andrea Piardi that allowed Nathan Doak to kick the Irish province into a 9-3 interval lead.

But in 25 degree heat at Loftus Versfeld, the Bulls then ignited, with powerful flank Coetzee crossing in the 44th minute to wrestle the advantage away from Ulster before Madosh Tambwe, Johan Grobbelaar and Kurt-Lee Arendse added further tries to complete a bonus-point victory.

A late yellow card for a dangerous tackle cast a minor shadow on Coetzee's afternoon, but he had already left his mark on the side where he spent five seasons until 2021.

Ulster lost wing Ethan McIlroy in the third minute after he took an elbow to the head from Tambwe as the rivals contested for an aerial ball, but it failed to dent a strong start from the visitors.

A Doak penalty was the only reward for their early dominance and the Bulls soon forced their way back into contention with Chris Smith levelling from the kicking tee.

Defences reigned in an increasingly hard-fought first half that saw regular intervention from Piardi and, with the Bulls coming off worse, Doak was able to boot another six points.

Only last-ditch intervention from Ian Madigan prevented Tambwe from crossing in the left corner, but where the backs failed the forwards succeeded when a series of pick-and-goes produced a try for Coetzee as the lead changed hands for the first time.

Pressure was building on Ulster with Coetzee a force in the forward exchanges and, when Smith kicked the Bulls 13-9 ahead, the tide had turned.

Tambwe showed strength to score his side's second try born out of an error in the visitors' midfield, but Marshall went over with 15 minutes to go after brave approach work from Madigan to hint at an uprising.

Any comeback aspirations soon vanished, however, when lock Kieran Treadwell was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle and Bulls surged over with a maul try from hooker Grobbelaar.

Arendse completed the rout by picking off a loose Ulster pass, sealing an emphatic win.

Man of the Match

Two of the Bulls' four tries were scored by backs, but it was the forwards who did the most damage against Ulster, with lock Ruan Nortje at the heart of their resistance.

The 23-year-old was a force in the tight and caught the eye with his workrate.

Play of the match

The Bulls came alive in the second half and it was their 44th-minute try by Coetzee that set them on the path to a comprehensive victory.

A scrum move almost saw Tambwe cross, but when play resumed the Bulls' pack took control, with a series of drives ending as Coetzee powered over.

The scorers

For the Bulls

Tries: Coetzee, Tambwe, Grobbelaar, Arendse

Cons: Smith 2, Steyn

Pens: Smith 2

For Ulster

Try: Marshall

Con: Doak

Pens: Doak 3

Yellow cards: Kieran Treadwell (Ulster, 65 - foul play, high tackle), Marcell Coetzee (Bulls, 73 - foul play, high tackle)

Teams

Bulls: 15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Replacements: 16 Joe van Zyl, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Reinhardt Ludwig, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Lionel Mapoe.

Ulster: 15 Mike Lowry, 14 Ben Moxham, 13 James Hume, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Ethan McIlroy, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Iain Henderson (captain), 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Brad Roberts, 1 Andrew Warwick.

Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Matty Rea, 21 John Cooney, 22 Marcus Rea, 23 Stewart Moore.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Griffon Colby (South Africa)

TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

* Additional reporting by @URCOfficial

Picture credit: ortonmediaphoto