Bulls player ratings: ‘Brutal’ Cameron Hanekom ‘bullies his opponents’ while Willie le Roux ‘unpicks’ the visitors
Cameron Hanekom and Willie le Roux in action for the Bulls.
Following a 57-15 victory over the Lions in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.
15 Willie le Roux: At the age of 37, he doesn’t quite have the pace to make the searing breaks he used to but his rugby intelligence still makes him an invaluable player to the Bulls. Le Roux unpicked the Lions defence and was the primary playmaker in the team. 8
14 Canan Moodie: Perhaps hasn’t had the game time he would have liked for the Springboks, but he will start rising up the pecking order playing like this. Moodie was a real threat on the right wing and was generally error-free, which has been his issue over the past couple of years. 8
13 Stedman Gans: A bustling display from the reliable centre but he wasn’t quite as influential as his other backline team-mates. Still a solid effort from Gans, who rarely lets his side down. 6
12 Harold Vorster: Kick-started the scoring for the Bulls with a lovely chip and regather as he continued his good form from the end of the last season. Another solid presence in the midfield for the hosts with some classy touches after the break. 7
Back to his best
11 Sebastian de Klerk: Great to see the talented wing back after missing the final few months of the previous campaign. De Klerk looks back to his best with the Lions struggling to deal with his pace, footwork and physicality. 8
10 Curwin Bosch: A forgotten man of South African rugby considering the hype which surrounded his early days but, after a stint in France, Bosch has returned and looks the better for it. Dovetailed nicely with Le Roux as the Bulls dominated much of the contest. 7
9 Paul de Wet: It was a lively performance from the scrum-half, who was always in support in attack and was accurate from the base. With Embrose Papier absent, De Wet is an excellent stand-in. 8
8 Cameron Hanekom: The Springboks loose forward had moments when he looked a cut above the rest. Hanekom wasn’t making constant impacts but, when he did, the number eight bullied his opponents. The hand-off on Richard Kriel, who isn’t a small wing, for his second score was utterly brutal. 8
7 Hanro Liebenberg (c): Always gets through plenty of work and, to some extent, acts as the glue in the back-row, but Liebenberg wasn’t quite as influential as his back-row team-mates. 6
Another fine showing
6 Jeandre Rudolph: Another fine display from the loose forward, who has been their best player since joining the Pretoria outfit at the start of last season. Some big moments in both defence and attack as Rudolph was once again a standout. 8
5 JF van Heerden: It was workmanlike from the tight five, who set a good platform for 45 minutes to allow the hosts to build a comfortable buffer, but they had a few lineout wobbles after that. 6
4 Ruan Vermaak: Similar to Van Heerden, Vermaak was solid without being spectacular where he did a good hour’s shift before going off. 6
3 Francois Klopper: Had the upper hand in the set-piece even though the scrum wasn’t necessarily a huge factor in the contest. Also put himself about around the field and did some decent work in defence. 7
2 Johan Grobbelaar: Excellent first half where his game was in fine working order, both in the set-piece and around the field, but he had a few issues in the lineout after the break. 7
1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Similar to Klopper, the Springboks loosehead showed his power and technique in the scrum as he played his part in an excellent opening 43 minutes before the visitors battled back ahead of him going off on the hour. 7
Replacements: Provided some much-needed impetus on the hour mark after the Lions edged their way back into the contest. They made mass changes around that time and it paid dividends as they finished strongly with three late tries, including one for wing replacement Cheswill Jooste. The front-row, Cobus Wiese, Elrigh Louw, Handre Pollard and Jooste were all excellent off the bench. 8