Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White said on Friday that after taking on English Premiership champions Saracens he would know where his side stood and if they were good enough for Europe.
And while the 27-16 scoreline didn’t reflect the Bulls' dominance on an evening where they should have won by a lot more, White would certainly know his answer.
But there may be a caveat to that answer in any case. This is at altitude at Loftus Versfeld, a place where the Bulls continue to hold an unbeaten record against overseas opposition.
Winning overseas may be the next step to unlocking the Champions’ Cup key and the Bulls may still be a while away from that.
Still, there was no doubt that they deserved to win on a night where the television match official disallowed three tries - two in the first half and one just after halftime - and had that not happened, the scoreline could have been a lot worse for the English champions.
An impressive start by Jake White's men 🐂
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) December 9, 2023
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HOSTILE RECEPTION FOR FARRELL
And while Owen Farrell was reminded by the Loftus crowd that he isn’t the most popular player in South Africa, the consistent booing whenever he kicked was in poor taste given his recent decision to miss the Six Nations to concentrate on his own mental wellbeing.
It was good to see Jake White apologise for the crowd’s hostile reception for the England captain, but this won’t be the first or last place that Farrell or any other opposition 10 is booed when they kick.
Farrell, ironically was one of his side’s better players on the night where they were bossed by a Bulls pack intent on making a statement.
And the other irony was, after being on the back foot for most of the evening, the Saracens side were galvanised after they lost Billy Vunipola to a red card.
Vunipola’s reckless cleanout on Cameron Hanekom looked to have only grazed the young eighthman’s head, but it mattered not in the letter of the law.
Even though Sarries scored two late tries, White will be happy with his team standing up to one of the best sides in the competition and will have seen a pack that, with a bit more moulding, could be close to being in a position to take on some of the best in Europe.
RED-HOT ARENDSE AND MOODIE
At the back the game-breaking abilities of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie continue to grow, while Stedman Gans and David Kriel are developing into a fine combination.
Considering the midfield combo they faced have 96 test caps between them, they certainly weren’t overawed.
The three disallowed tries were beauties on their own. The first was ruled out because Kriel’s pass to Arendse went forward, but the move afterwards - the interplay that led to Elrigh Louw dotting down - could easily have been one of the tries of the season.
The same with Gans running 60 metres down the sideline to score, only to be adjudged to have stepped on the whitewash and the second-half try. where another Kriel pass was forward after the Bulls made the Sarries defence look silly. was pure gold.
But it wasn’t a surprise - the home side were red hot from the start, as they battered Saracens early on, taking them close before Willie le Roux looped round to make the extra man for David Kriel to go over and score.
Grab your popcorn this match is already looking TASTY 🍿@BlueBullsRugby get the first score 🔥
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) December 9, 2023
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But while they had all the advantage, and made Saracens look ordinary at times, the scoreboard didn’t get ticking over the way they wanted it to.
Saracens lost Alex Goode and then Maro Itoje to yellow cards as they struggled to adapt to the pressure.
Goode shouldered a flying Arendse after he chipped over the defence while Itoje committed a professional foul in his own 22 metre line.
On the stroke of halftime Janko Swanepoel went over to take the score to 20-6, but in reality it felt as if the Bulls should have been up by 40 by that stage.
MAGIC COUNTER ATTACKS
The Bulls broke through again early with some Arendse magic. Fielding a poor clearance kick, the mercurial winger stepped two players and surged forward, passing to a flying Moodie, who got ankle tapped but managed to get the ball over the line for a try.
Vunipola’s red card galvanised Saracens and Elliot Daly and Theo McFarland made it a bit more uncomfortable with late tries.
But there was only one winner at Loftus Versfeld
And as the crowd started leaving for home, White had his answer.
Scorers
Vodacom Bulls - tries: David Kriel, Janko Swanepoel, Canan Moodie. Conversions: Johan Goosen (3). Penalties: Goosen (3).
Saracens - tries: Elliot Daly, Theo McFarland. Penalties: Owen Farrell (2).