The Vodacom Bulls took another step closer to a home semifinal as they smashed Welsh side Cardiff 45-21 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, thanks to a powerful forwards performance and a masterclass at the back from Willie le Roux.
While Sebastian de Klerk was awarded the man of the match award for his brace of tries, it was Le Roux who stepped into the breach when Johan Goosen limped off the field, taking up the playmaker role and toying with the Cardiff defence to assist in three of the Bulls’ tries.
It underlined just how important Le Roux will be for the Bulls in the business end of the competition, but also how well the team are positioned with such a playmaker when their forward pack dominates on the park.
Goosen’s injury - he took the stretcher cart off the field and didn’t look happy as he left - could either be an ankle or knee injury - and given his history with injuries this season and before, it could be a body blow for the Bulls in the final weeks of the competition.
Cardiff did come back in the final minutes as the Bulls ran out of steam and almost snatched a losing bonus point, providing plenty for the video review on Monday.
The scoreline flattered the visitors as the Bulls left at least a half dozen tries out on the park as they revelled in all the ball possesion they had.
FORWARDS DOMINANT
Their loose trio of Marcell Coetzee, Cameron Hanekom and Ruan Nortje were exceptional, with Nortje giving a different view on his talents as he roamed around the field.
But as always the demolition job was started in the front row, where Wilco Louw destroyed his opposite number Corey Domachowski and racked up the penalty count against the visitors.
Johan Grobbelaar’s skills around the park were apparent as he stole ball again,= and popped up on the wing to assist in the first try.
There was hardly a Bulls player to complain about as the dominance continued, but special mention must be made of Canan Moodie, whose aerial skills were on full display again and helped the Bulls easily win the aerial battle for most of the match.
For Cardiff, Alun Lawrence was easily their player of the game, putting in the most tackles for his side and making the most carries as well.
Cardiff were well-beaten, even though their late comeback made the scoreline more respectable.
And for most of the game it was hard to believe this was three versus five on the log, although the Bulls moved into second as they wait for the conclusion of the Benetton-Glasgow game.
For coach Jake White, he can go into the last week of the tournament confident, especially with Dragons coming to Loftus next week.
The bottom of the log side is hardly likely to trouble a Bulls team in this sort of form.
‘CHICKEN WING’ PASS SETS UP OPENING TRY
The first try came from a move that crossed the field, finding Grobbelaar on the wing.
The hooker bounced off one player, took the second tackle and gave a 'chicken wing' pass that will be talked about in the dressing room for weeks to come.
The pass found Moodie, whose chip over the last line and inside was perfect for Harold Vorster to pick up and score.
Grobbies 🤝 Moodie 🤝 Vorster@Vodacom #URC | #RaceToTheEight | #BULvCAR pic.twitter.com/5jpoVq2LQt
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) May 10, 2025
Louw crashed over from close range nine minutes later to double the Bulls score, before the Moodie-Le Roux combo combined perfectly for the third try. The winger rose to knock ball a high ball into the hands of Le Roux, who picked up at pace, flummoxing the defence, before opening the gap and returning to Moodie to run in for the try.
Three @Cardiff_Rugby players to get through? Easy job for Wilco Louw 🫡@Vodacom #URC | #RaceToTheEight | #BULvCAR pic.twitter.com/mt4KQLelMZ
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) May 10, 2025
The bonus point came just before halftime when Cameron Hanekom picked up from the base of a 5m scrum and powered his way over despite two Cardiff defenders trying to stop him.
𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘠 for Cameron 😮💨@Vodacom #URC | #RaceToTheEight | #BULvCAR pic.twitter.com/MkfNEa2faK
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) May 10, 2025
First half captured 📸@Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA #ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/jB6uQNzb3Y
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) May 10, 2025
LE ROUX MASTERCLASS IN SECOND HALF
Cardiff improved in the second half and were more competitive, and with the bonus point in hand, the Bulls probably played a bit too much, but still managed to power their way forward.
Le Roux’s masterclass continued as a poor Cardiff clearance found the fullback, and he took the ball forward, putting the perfect chip into space for a flying De Klerk to collect and run in untouched.
While Alex Mann got Cardiff onto the board by the slimmest of margins, going in at the corner, Le Roux hit back for the Bulls from a scrum set move and looped around inside centre Harold Vorster, holding the ball just long enough to give De Klerk the opportunity to run a perfect line and power through, taking enough momentum and three tacklers over the line for his side’s sixth try.
From there the substitutes came on and Cardiff were the stronger side in the final minutes, scoring through Teddy Williams and Gabe Hamer-Webb. It gave Cardiff some hope for a losing bonus point, but it wasn’t enough as the Bulls held out to take all the points on offer.
The Pretoria side know it is in their hands next week to finish as strong as they can and hope Glasgow falter somewhere, but at least one part of the equation is now taken care of.
YOUR @Vodacom #URC MAN OF THE MATCH 🔥🔥🔥@URCOfficial_RSA #ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/u7W81xgHQH
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) May 10, 2025
Scorers
Vodacom Bulls - tries: Harold Vorster, Wilco Louw, Canan Moodie, Cameron Hanekom, Sebastian de Klerk (2). Conversions: Johan Goosen, Keagan Johannes (5). Penalty: Goosen
Cardiff Rugby - tries: Alex Mann, Teddy Williams, Gabe Hamer-Webb. Conversions: Ben Thomas (3).