Bulls player ratings: Cameron Hanekom ‘back to his best’ while the ‘good and bad’ of Springboks star ‘typifies season’
Bulls stars Cameron Hanekom and Canan Moodie.
Following a 54-19 victory over Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.
15 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Roamed across the backline acting almost as an extra playmaker alongside Willie le Roux. Maybe kicked the ball away too much early on but took the right options after that to cause their opponents significant problems. 8
14 Cheswill Jooste: Showed his pace in both attack and defence, firstly to get back to stop the Italians from scoring before latching onto to a sweeping move to touch down, but was replaced at the interval. 7
The good and the bad
13 Canan Moodie: Typified the Springbok’s season with the good being interspersed with the bad. There were some wonderful breaks, including a brilliant run for Le Roux’s opener. However, he was perhaps fortunate referee Ben Whitehouse decided it was not a forward pass as his assist stood. Moodie then threw an intercept which led to Zebre’s first score – the talented back just needs to tidy up his game. 7
12 Harold Vorster: Strong performance on both sides of the ball. Nice pass to send Sergeal Petersen through a gap which resulted in Moodie crossing the whitewash, while he was instrumental in their fifth try. 7
11 Sergeal Petersen: Was a consistent presence in the first half, getting a try and an assist, but was quieter in the second period. Didn’t help himself by being ahead of Johan Grobbelaar when free on the left, leading to a forward pass. 7
10 Willie le Roux: As good a platform as he’s going to get with the pack utterly dominant but Le Roux still led the attack impressively and created plenty of openings. Had the odd decision-making error, with the options for the makeshift fly-half numerous, but it was a good showing otherwise. 8
9 Paul de Wet: Gave his side quick ball throughout his time on the field and made it easier for his half-back partner, while De Wet also had his moments around the fringes. 7
Back to his best
8 Cameron Hanekom: Comfortably the Bulls’ best carrier, making ground at both close quarters and in the wider channels. Hanekom also did his bit in defence, competing well in contact and around the breakdown to suggest he is getting back to his best after a lengthy absence through injury. Was absolutely superb on Saturday. 9
7 Jeandre Rudolph: A superb signing this season who never drops below a certain standard. Might have been outshone by Hanekom in this clash but Rudolph was still a ubiquitous presence thanks to his work close to the ruck. 8
6 Marcell Coetzee (c): A solid display on both sides of the ball before the flanker was replaced in the early stages of the second period. Rudolph and Hanekom did more of the carrying with the game not necessarily suited to Coetzee. 6
5 JF van Heerden: Some abrasive work with ball in hand while the set-piece went smoothly for the majority of the match as Van Heerden put in another fine shift. 7
4 Ruan Vermaak: Similar to his team-mate, there was plenty to like about Vermaak’s game during his time on the field but, like Coetzee, he went off just after the interval. 7
Set-piece strength
3 Wilco Louw: Dominated the scrum without getting a heap of penalties and he also trucked the ball up in attack, offering plenty of front foot possession. 7
2 Marco van Staden: The main concern, given Van Staden’s switch from flanker to hooker, would have been the set-piece, but he did an excellent job in that department – both scrum and lineout. That therefore allowed him to influence matters in the loose by being the Bulls’ top tackler. 8
1 Jan Hendrik Wessels: Similar to Louw, Wessels had some joy in the scrum and did his work around the field with some decent carries at close quarters. 7
Replacements: Stedman Gans was utterly immense when coming on for Jooste, providing the Bulls with an even greater threat in the wider channels. Popped up everywhere and created plenty more opportunities for his team. Elsewhere, Grobbelaar and Cobus Wiese both put in a shift when they came on. 8
READ MORE: Bulls v Zebre: Result, match details, stats, line-ups