Bulls player ratings: ‘Journeyman’ continues to outperform illustrious Springboks despite Test star’s ‘mammoth’ shift

Following a 45-19 victory over Benetton in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.

15 Willie le Roux: Took a nice line to score a try and showed plenty of creative moments for Johan Ackermann to be happy, but perhaps overdid the kick over the top at times and that disease was caught by his team-mates. 7

14 Sergeal Petersen: Scored a brace with the second coming at a particularly important moment, having put themselves under pressure. Finished both scores nicely and was ultimately a constant threat with ball in hand. 8

Solid centres

13 Canan Moodie: Started off with a sublime break that led to Petersen’s first score, but mistakes from his teammates prevented him from building on that. Still a good display, however, with Moodie not suffering the brain fades of last week. 7

12 Harold Vorster: Has found some good form over recent months and once again provided a focal point in the midfield. A physical performance from the centre, who also did some good defensive work, which included a turnover. 7

11 Devon Williams: Very quiet from the wing, who was barely involved before he was replaced relatively early in the second period. 5

10 Handre Pollard: Dictated proceedings impressively in the opening half-hour but somewhat lost his way in the period either side of the break. There was a lack of patience in attack with his kicks over the top, which enabled Benetton to get back into the contest, before he regained his composure. 6

9 Embrose Papier: Celebrated his Springboks alignment camp call-up with a good all-round effort. Delivery was superb from the base as the Bulls proved too hot to handle when they went through the phases. 8

8 Cameron Hanekom: Nowhere near as good as last week, with the hosts tending to go wider earlier, while some of their best work was done on transition. Plenty of big carries, however, and he produced some useful moments in defence. 6

7 Elrigh Louw: A decent shift while he was on the field, but Louw wasn’t quite at his best and was sacrificed relatively early in the second period. 5

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Star of the show

6 Jeandre Rudolph: Absolutely incredible yet again. Rudolph was staggeringly good on both sides of the ball, winning four turnovers, making 12 tackles – a game high – and also contributing plenty in attack. He might ultimately be considered a journeyman, but in a team which contains plenty of Springboks, the back-rower is consistently their standout performer, and Saturday was no different. 9

5 Ruan Nortje (c): In fairness, Rudolph was run relatively close for the man of the match award by Nortje, who put in a mammoth shift. Showed tremendous athleticism to pounce on loose balls when retreating defensively, while trucking the ball up in attack and leading the lineout expertly. 8

4 Cobus Wiese: It was a solid 70-minute display from the big lock, but he perhaps didn’t impose his physicality enough at close quarters. 6

3 Wilco Louw: Didn’t always get his own way in the scrum as Benetton competed hard and were sometimes rewarded by the referee, but Louw definitely had the upper hand, while he also gave his side front-foot ball with his work in the loose. 7

2 Johan Grobbelaar: Set-piece went smoothly for the most part, but he wasn’t quite as prominent in the loose as usual. Still contributed plenty, but his day ended after 53 minutes. 6

1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Similar to Louw, the scrum was a weapon at times, but he didn’t always escape the wrath of the referee’s whistle. Plenty to like about his performance, however. 7

Replacements: The majority of the players came on at a time when the Bulls were struggling, but they just managed to up the intensity, which helped the starters refocus. Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Mpilo Gumede – despite one shocking pass into touch – all contributed to a much better final 25 minutes. 8

READ MORE: Bulls v Benetton: Result, match details, stats, line-ups