Bulls plunged further into crisis by Jaguares loss

The Vodacom Bulls' season plunged further into crisis as they went down tamely to the Jaguares 24-39 in their Vodacom Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The loss means they still have not won a game in Super Rugby this year, and now have had their worst start to a season since 2002, when they went winless throughout the competition.

And on a night where they desperately needed to win, their performance brought more questions than answers.

It is no secret the Bulls have lost a wealth of experience in the off-season, but their performances this year have raised a number of questions about the ability of their coaching staff, team selections and their defensive structure.

There will be some very worried faces in the Loftus Versfeld offices this weekend as they look to turn the ship around. With one game left this coming weekend ahead of their overseas tour, some solutions will need to be found urgently if they are to stop the rot.

And while some may point to the fact that the Jaguares are a national team in disguise, the way the Bulls are currently playing will be the biggest cause for concern, as they are lacking self-confidence and direction, while their defence has been disappointing to say the least.

The problem for the Bulls is that there are no quick-fix solutions available to them, and while their fans may demand more from them, there are few players that they can bring in at this stage of the season that would do any better.

The Jaguares' win will give them a massive boost as well as it is against a team from the same conference, while it comes as a blow to the Stormers as well after their loss on Saturday.

The Bulls' attack was just as poor as they created a number of chances but their handling let them down at crucial times in the game. But while attack is a worry, defence cost them this game.

The Bulls' torrid evening started early, as the Jaguares scored first in the fourth minute, exploiting the poor defence when Johnny Kotze missed a regulation tackle to open a hole that put Emiliano Bofelli through for the first of his two tries.

It was a sign that home-ground advantage would mean little for the visitors as they looked to repeat their famous victory of last year.

TWO TRIES IN THREE MINUTES FLOOR BULLS

The Bulls found some inspiration though when a clever lineout move saw hooker Jaco Visagie streak down the sideline before putting flanker Marco van Staden away in the corner for an excellent try.

But the Bulls' smiles would be short-lived as their defensive cracks started to widen and the Argentinean side took full advantage of it.

The lineout defence crumbled just short of the half hour when Rodrigo Bruni twisted his way out of the tackle to find an open tryline in front of him and put his side ahead again.

The Bulls hit back just five minutes later, and it looked as if they were on the up, as a surge downfield ended well when Embrose Papier went blind, drew the defender and gave Warrick Gelant the perfect gift to celebrate his 50th Super Rugby cap.

But then disaster struck. Two tries in the space of three minutes floored the Bulls.

First it came as Kotze couldn't cover the midfield and a gap as wide as the gap between the two teams opened up for Bofelli to glide through. Santiago Carreras took the pass before putting a galloping Guido Petti through for a score that rocked Loftus.

And then a minute later Joaquin Diaz Bonilla chipped over the defence and the Bulls side simply watched the ball bounce for midfielder Mattias Moroni to scoop the ball up and score.

What should have been 14-10 for the home side had suddenly seen them head into the sheds with a 14-24 deficit.

The second half did start well for the Bulls, thanks to some 'Specmagic'. Sevens flyer Rosko Specman carved his way through the defence, accelerated and then played with the scrambling Jaguares defence before the ball went wide for Cornal Hendricks to score.

The Bulls were to be their own enemies again when Kotze was yellow carded for repeated team offences and they were down to 14, but the killer blow would come shortly afterwards when Bonilla sent the perfect kick-pass for Bofelli to collect and dot down in the corner.

The visitors were lucky to escape a red card for Bonilla when he took Specman out as both were going for the ball, and his arm wrapped around the winger’s face, causing him to fall awkwardly. Referee Ben O'Keefe decided a yellow was in order, but many at the ground would have thought it could have been a red.

The final nail in the coffin was a rolling-maul try in the 72nd minute, which saw Santiago Socino power over to give his side their second victory, and keep the Bulls winless.