French side Lyon produced a powerful performance to dispatch a poor Vodacom Bulls side 31-7 in a pretty one-sided Heineken Champions’ Cup performance on Friday night.
The Bulls produced almost the definition of a horror show as they struggled in light slow and cold conditions, often being their own worst enemies with a game plan that kicked away most of the possession they had and countless errors that virtually stunted their ability to come close to the Lyon scoreline.
While the Bulls were poor, Lyon were inspired, looking desperate to try and qualify for the playoffs they produced a power performance, destroying the Bulls scrum in the first half and running in five tries to one to secure the five points on offer.
While Lyon will have to wait for Saturday’s results to know if they qualified, the Bulls at least look a bit more solid. Their biggest issue is what happens in the Bordeaux-Gloucester game where they could technically still be overhauled.
That is rather unlikely to happen, as the Bulls are now on a negative 37 points difference while Gloucester are on -87, meaning the English side would have to win by 51 points to pass the Bulls.
While Racing 92 could also still pass the Bulls, the likelihood of both of them and Gloucester leapfrogging the Pretoria side is remote as Racing also face Leinster in their final game.
What it does mean is that the Bulls squandered any chance of a home playoff game and will need to travel - possibly to another French powerhouse like Toulouse or La Rochelle in their playoff match and if Friday night’s performance is anything to go by, perhaps they should rather save the plane tickets.
It wasn’t just that the performance was error-ridden, there was a real question mark about the commitment of some players.
While Johan Goosen may have returned from injury last year as a top contender for the Springboks, his recent performances have done more to take him off the Bok radar than to advance his cause.
Again in the snow he looked uncomfortable and uninterested, and his tackle on Lyon scrumhalf Jean-Marc Doussain, where he literally carried - or “tickled” as former Bok captain Jean de Villiers said on SuperSport - the player over the line, perhaps underlined his passive approach.
The Bulls may believe Goosen is a supremely talented player, and he is, but on performances like this he may be leapfrogged by Chris Smith and even Morne Steyn into the starting line-up.
AIMLESS KICKING
It wasn’t a good night for any of the Bulls, although the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie did try their utmost, there was just too little going on up front where Lyon’s forwards bullied the Bulls and they got the reward from the referee.
On top in the scrums, and making a meal out of the lineout drives - which brought them two tries - it was understandable that they would get the rub of the green.
What was not understandable was how the Bulls continued to rely on the box kick and sometimes aimless kick downfield to try and get them out of their red zone. Even when the Bulls were on the front foot and tried to move the ball wide, they inevitably hoofed the ball away, mostly in a grubber and watched as it was covered with ease by Lyon.
It was only late in the second half when they showed enterprise, but by then the snow was falling heavier and unforced errors stopped them at every turn.
The less said about the night the better for the Bulls, who have to now negotiate similar conditions next weekend in Wales when the Vodacom United Rugby Championship resumes.
Lyon were on top early on when Guillaime Marchand went over for the first of his two rolling maul tries.
When Doussain was carried over the line by Goosen, it was clear the Bulls were in real trouble and when Marchand went over in the second half again to give his side a 24-0 buffer at the break, the game was already lost.
We're sure scrum halves shouldn't be this built ??
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 20, 2023
Incredible strength from @LeLOURugby 9?? Jean-Marc Doussain to battle over the line with Bulls hanging off him ??#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/vrX3BWiPkn
The Bulls tried hard in the second half and for a while it looked good, especially when Arendse intercepted a ball and ran 60 metres to get them on the board.
Good luck catching him ??
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 20, 2023
Kurt-Lee Arendse reads the play like a book and sprints allllll the way down to score the @BlueBullsRugby's opening try ??#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/9cb5bbvcUQ
But then the snow intensified and both sides struggled, the Bulls getting stronger but not more accurate, while Lyon tired visibly in the second half.
With all that happening the only other try in the half was Leo Berdeu’s run through the middle to take his team further ahead.
Leo Berdeu spots a gap and he's gone ???
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 20, 2023
Even has time to celebrate on the run in ????#HeinekenChampionsCup | @LeLOURugby pic.twitter.com/hazTD5yXkm
By that time it was academic and the Bulls trudged quietly off the field knowing they were totally outplayed, and left themselves with a mountain to climb in Europe.
And the quicker they forget these 80 minutes the better.
Scorers
Lyon - Tries:Guillaime Marchand (2), Jean-Marc Doussain, Leo Berdeu. Conversions: Berdeu (4). Penalty: Berdeu
Vodacom Bulls - Try:Kurt-Lee Arendse. Conversion: Johan Goosen.