Bulls player ratings: ‘Magical’ Kurt-Lee Arendse at his ‘very best’ but fellow Springboks star needs to ‘tidy up his game’
Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie in action for the Bulls.
Following a 40-7 victory over Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday, here are the player ratings for the Bulls.
15 David Kriel: Made an early error for the opening – and only – Cardiff try, but made up for that with a good showing afterwards. Scored a nice try, took some decent lines and contributed to a devastating attacking display in the first half. 7
14 Cheswill Jooste: A huge talent who is already making his mark in professional rugby. Not quite as sparkling with ball in hand as his wing team-mate, but Jooste’s basics are strong, which stands him in good stead. Solid under the high ball, decent understanding already in defence and a great work ethic. 7
13 Canan Moodie: Some wonderful moments that tended to end in frustration. Moodie made some incredible breaks, but it was interspersed with silly errors – he just needs to tidy up his game. 7
12 Stedman Gans: A strong game in midfield from Gans, who was direct, confrontational and physical, but there was one stupid kick – albeit with the game won. Just stick to trucking it up, Stedman, as it was mightily effective. 7
Magical display
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Magical from the wing, who was outstanding on Friday. Weaved in and out of Cardiff tacklers as the Welshmen failed to grab hold of the Springboks star. It was Arendse at his very best. 9
10 Handre Pollard: A fine display from the two-time Rugby World Cup winner. Dictated proceedings and linked play nicely, giving the outside backs the opportunity to rip the opposition defence apart. 8
9 Embrose Papier: Continues to impress for the Bulls with another immense display. Scored a try after a piece of Arendse magic, but it was his ability to test the fringes and brings his runners into the game which particularly stood out. Organised the pack well and box-kicked accurately. 9
8 Nizaam Carr: Was having a great game anyway before ‘that’ assist, but Carr’s piece of skill would have given him a high rating on its own. An outrageous kick off the floor went fully 30 metres and landed perfectly in the arms of Louw, who did the rest. 8
7 Elrigh Louw: His try still needed finishing, but Carr’s piece of skill did the heavy lifting. However, it was more in the tighter exchanges where Louw impressed as the Bulls managed to dominate the physical exchanges. 7
6 Marcell Coetzee (c): Some excellent breakdown work, and he was equally effective in the carry early on as the hosts’ forwards established their power at close quarters. Another great shift from the experienced Coetzee. 7
Laying the platform
5 Ruan Nortje: While the South African side played some free-flowing rugby at times, it was the forward eight that laid the platform for his victory, with Nortje central to that. He was their go-to man at the lineout, and they scored two driving maul tries. 8
4 Cobus Wiese: The bruiser in the front five. Was unlucky to have a try ruled out after an unfortunate error from Papier, but that did not deter Wiese, who went about his work superbly. 8
3 Francois Klopper: Considering it was his first game in two months, Klopper produced a solid performance. Had the better of the scrum battle before he made way for the impressive Khutha Mchunu. 6
2 Johan Grobbelaar: Did the fundamentals well and got himself around the field to contribute in the loose, but Grobbelaar was perhaps quieter than usual in that area. 6
1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Had plenty of joy in the set-piece as Steenekamp dominated his opposition tighthead. He’s one of the best scrummagers in the URC and showed it here. 7
Replacements: There were plenty of good moments individually. Ruan Vermaak was a ubiquitous presence when he came on and scored the only try of the second period, Paul de Wet was lively from scrum-half, while the front-row were very busy around the field, but it just didn’t quite knit together after the break. Overall, the bench did the job, but some of the starters might have just dropped the intensity as more mistakes crept in. 7
READ MORE: URC round 13: Predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments