The Vodacom Bulls survived some tense moments in a Investec Champions Cup thriller at Loftus Versfeld to beat French side Bordeaux-Begles 46-40 in a game that saw 12 tries in the Pretoria heat.
The Bulls started with the ambitious thought that if they could win by 35 points or more, they could top the pool if Lyon lost later on Saturday.
But Bordeaux, bidding to become one of the top dogs of the Champions’ Cup, had other ideas and despite the Bulls' hopes that the altitude and heat would overwhelm them in the second half, they looked the stronger team at the end.
Considering no team had come within 10 points of the Bulls in Champions Cup action at Loftus Versfeld this was some performance by the French side, and it is no wonder they are so highly rated in France.
The Bulls now have to wait until Lyon face Saracens to know if they finish second or third in the group.
A Lyon victory would send them to third, meaning no option of home clashes in the playoff rounds.
Still, for a side that had already qualified before the ball was kicked off - Bristol’s loss at Connacht on Friday night confirmed that - the Bulls showed an unbelievable amount of passion and incredible moments on attack.
It was their defence that let them down against the quality Bordeaux attack because when they needed to put the hammer down, they let in three quick tries that made the game a lot more competitive than they would have liked.
Perhaps it is a testament to the fact that the Bulls have grown from last year but still need to grow a lot more if they are to make an indelible impression in the Champions’ Cup.
A SENSE OF OCCASION
The Bulls certainly started like they wanted those 35 points to finish top.
Cameron Hanekom went over after a minute but replays showed he lost control of the ball and then David Kriel was held up over the line.
But it was third time lucky a minute later when captain Marcell Coetzee went over to score the opening try.
Stampeding Bulls 👊
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 20, 2024
A dominant start and @BlueBullsRugby have the first score 👏
Watch Vodacom Bulls 🆚 @UBBRugby live on @SuperSportTV, @beinsports_FR, @tntsports and @FloRugby pic.twitter.com/dm13FMGaWG
Bordeaux showed they weren’t going to be overawed by the heat and altitude, as they lost Carlu Sadie to a yellow card but still scored shortly afterwards when Romain Buros found an easy gap in the defence.
There was certainly a sense of occasion as both sides were eager to score points and run, but the Bulls managed to get further ahead when a long pass from Willie le Roux found Devon Williams on the wing for him to run in untouched.
Coetzee added a second from a 5m penalty to stretch his side’s lead but whenever the Bulls seemed to edge ahead, Bordeaux hauled them in and it wasn’t long before Adam Coleman forced his way over from close range to close the gap.
David Kriel finished off a long-range counter attack just before the break to give the Bulls their bonus point and allow them the chance to dream, at least for a few minutes of topping the group.
Great first half for the Vodacom Bulls 🏆💙#BackTheBulls pic.twitter.com/iP3NiOduEu
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) January 20, 2024
For that to happen they needed to stop Bordeaux from scoring four tries and at least for the first part of the second half that seemed a reality.
A beauty of a move with a short pass to David Kriel set off a series of offloads with the final one going to Le Roux, who scored probably the try of the afternoon when touching down.
But then the Bulls defence gave way and some sloppy play allowed Bordeaux to exploit them and made the altitude and heat look like a joke.
HELLUVA DOGFIGHT
Tevita Tatafu scored two exceptional tries, the one a long range effort while Buros cut the Bulls' defence open for scrumhalf Paul Abadie to score.
Bordeaux had their bonus point and the Bulls could no longer finish top.
And now a sense of dread crept in. The Bulls were in real danger of losing the game, having conceded 40 points on their home ground.
Jaco van der Walt’s penalty calmed some of the nerves as it put the Bulls six points up,
And while the clock ticked down the Bulls were tense but found the resolve to win.
But they knew they were in a helluva dogfight all afternoon.
The Vodacom Bulls claim a bonus-point victory against Union Bordeaux Bègles 🐂
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 20, 2024
The men from Pretoria will play knockout rugby in this season's #InvestecChampionsCup 🏆 pic.twitter.com/TxQfBNOqRb
Scorers
Vodacom Bulls - tries: Marcell Coetzee (2), Devon Williams, David Kriel, Willie le Roux, Embrose Papier. Conversions: Johan Goosen (5). Penalty: Goosen, Jaco van der Walt.
Bordeaux-Begles - tries: Romain Buros, Adam Coleman, Madosh Tambwe, Tevita Tatafu (2), Paul Abadie. Conversions: Zack Holmes (5)