Far from the dominant force they are at Loftus Versfeld, the Vodacom Bulls took a step backwards as a tactically naive display saw them slump to a 37-28 loss to the Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday night.
There is a legend that the Bulls don’t do well as travellers to foreign lands and on the evidence of the last two weeks, you’d find few that would be able to prove this wrong.
Starting against a Scarlets side missing several internationals, who are 15th on the log, and are likely to struggle to make the top eight, the third-placed Bulls looked like roles were reversed as they struggled to take advantage of a power game that dominated, a set-piece that was on top and more than enough scoring opportunities.
Instead they turned into an ineffective bumbling outfit at times that gifted field position and points to their opposition, who used the home ground advantage well and drove that home with glee.
While Scarlets will celebrate this as a massive win over a top Vodacom United Rugby Championship side, this was no spectacle. Runaway log leaders Leinster would probably put 50 on both teams on their performances on the evening.
To underline that fact this was the first time in eight outings against Welsh franchises that the Bulls were on the losing end in all their time in the URC.
So where did it go wrong for the Bulls? For some inexplicable reason, patience was nowhere to be found on attack and they looked skittish, being rushed by the defence of the Scarlets and making a number of inexplicable mistakes at crucial times that ultimately cost them.
Then there were the two kickable penalties, with the Bulls only two points behind, after they had rallied from 30-7 down to 30-28 and could easily have taken the lead. But instead they chose to go for the corner, got stopped and knocked the ball on twice and then had to watch as Scarlets rallied in the last minute to get their own bonus point try with a turnover surge that stretched the length of the field and ultimately cost David Kriel a yellow card for a late hit.
It was the sort of game that you could see the coaching box pulling their hair out. The Bulls had picked their strongest available team, but they couldn’t put the hammer down.
BULLS FAR OFF THE PACE
To sum up the night a certain try for Ruan Vermaak was stopped when somehow captain Ruan Nortje jumped between him and the defender on the tryline, and instead of the arm being raised for a try, the obstruction was rightly called.
But the problems didn’t start there. The Bulls actually scored first with too much ease, powering forward around the fringes before Zak Burger took the ball through the gap to score.
That was where their first half happiness ended. From there a defensive lineout on their own line was rushed, with Nortje slinging the ball to Burger, who sent it into the goal area to Chris Smith, who under pressure hoofed it back to the five metre line.
From there it wasn’t a surprise that Dan Davis crashed over from close range. A hacked through turnover saw Harold Vorster gather the ball over the line - replays showed he never actually grounded the ball - but referee Andrew Brace believed he did and from the ensuing scrum Kemsley Mathias went over from close range.
Another three points from a penalty and then a turnover ball hacked downfield by Sam Costello found nobody at home, and scrumhalf Gareth Davies took the ball with a smile to make it 24-7.
Scarlets had hardly raised a sweat and they were in the lead.
Costello added another penalty before a professional foul cost the home side Joe Roberts for 10 minutes and the Bulls finally got something to smile about when Stravino Jacobs latched onto a cross kick from Johan Goosen to score.
At 27-14 the Bulls still had something to fight for, but Costello made that a bit tougher with another early half penalty to take the score three points on.
By now the Bulls scrum was becoming dominant, and their power runs were making metres, so it wasn’t a surprise when Cyle Brink barged his way over from close range on 55 minutes and then eight minutes later Simphiwe Matanzima made it a two point game.
With the majority of possession and camping in the Scarlets half, the Bulls lacked the nuance, the patience and the attacking savvy to break down the Scarlets defence. Instead they let the Welsh team off time and again with dropped passes, knock-ons and one-off runners that were cut down by the home side.
What should have been a surge back into the lead became a frustration, and Scarlets needed just one counter punch - a run down the near touchline by Ryan Conbeer to flummox the defence to taunt the Bulls into Kriel’s error. Then with the man overlap it was a matter of time before Johnny McNicholl went over to seal the win.
When the Bulls make their long trip back to Pretoria on Saturday they will want to kick themselves for wasting so much possession and dominance and will feel this is a game they should have won.
But their tactical naivety, and their lack of finishing shows just how far off the pace they are, especially with their strongest team struggling against a bottom-ranked Scarlets team stripped of internationals.
And that is the reality check they will need to face before they host the Stormers in three weeks time.
Scorers
Scarlets - tries : Dan Davis, Kemsley Mathias, Gareth Davies, Johnny McNicholl. Conversions: Sam Costellow (3), Dan Jones. Penalties: Costellow (3)
Vodacom Bulls - tries: Zak Burger, Stravino Jacobs, Cyle Brink, Simphiwe Matanzima. Conversions: Chris Smith (4).