Bulls player ratings: Springbok the shining light as fly-half drops an ‘absolute mare’ and prop’s ‘brain explosion’ costs Ackermann dearly
Alulutho Tshakweni protests yellow card decision and an inset of Kade Wolhuter. Credit INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon/EPCR Rugby.
How we rated the Bulls players as Johan Ackermann’s charges collapsed to a 50-5 defeat to Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup.
Bulls player ratings v Northampton Saints
15 Devon Williams: Brilliantly stripped Ollie Sleightholme of the ball and toed the ball on to set up the Bulls‘ only points of the game. The full-back covered some threatening kicks through well but eventually the pressure told. 6
14 Sergeal Petersen: Toiled manfully as the Saints launched an aerial assault. Didn’t get many opportunities with the ball in hand. Not much went his way at all. 4
13 Stedman Gans: Bravely grabbed a turnover early on, but that was one of the few bright moments, particularly in defence, as Northampton had him at sixes and sevens. The Bulls folded under pressure, which wasn’t all his doing. 5
12 Harold Vorster: A pair of turnovers conceded didn’t help the Bulls’ attack, while he was caught on occasion in defence too. Largely kept in check by the Saints’ defence. Replaced after the hour mark. 4
11 Stravino Jacobs: Criminal to give Sleightholme that much real estate, and he learnt that lesson the hard way as the England winger sped away for the opening try. Got one on Sleightholme as he raced away for a try. Missed a few tackles but had promising moments that just didn’t bear fruit with the ball in hand. 6
10 Kade Wolhuter: His Bulls debut could not have gone worse. His first shot at goal was frankly atrocious, with the conversion attempt just marginally better. He repeatedly failed to find touch with his penalty kicks, and Northampton punished him for that. Missed three of his six tackle attempts and conceded five turnovers. His nightmarish performance ended with a concerning-looking injury. Wolhuter was tipped for a bright future, but injuries have hampered his development, and this looks like the latest cruel setback. Keagan Johannes hasn’t been overly convincing at fly-half, but only Ackermann knows why he didn’t put the clearly struggling number 10 out of his misery earlier, as it was plainly evident that things weren’t going his way and he was making costly errors. 2
9 Zak Burger: Forced off after just 11 minutes through injury. Looked sharp for the most part. 5
The forwards
8 Elrigh Louw: The Sheriff is back in town, and one cannot tell that he has barely played any rugby this year. A shining light in a poor Bulls performance, the powerhouse Springbok was a handful with the ball in hand, brilliant at the breakdown and immense on defence. Rassie Erasmus will be smitten. 8
7 Reinhardt Ludwig: A handy option at the lineout and solid in just about every facet of the game. Took over the captaincy later in the second half and asked good questions of the referee, but with little success. 6
6 Marcell Coetzee (c): Hooked at half-time, perhaps to avoid injury with the hybrid and synthetic pitches historically causing him issues. Threw his weight around as a willing defender, finishing the first 40 as the top tackler with 13. A consistent performer for the Bulls, and today was much of the same. 6
5 JF van Heerden: Pestered the hosts at the lineout and is surprisingly effective at the breakdown despite his height. A busy performance but ultimately in vain. Also conceded two penalties. 5
4 Cobus Wiese: Got stuck into the nitty-gritty and worked tirelessly throughout the match. Some good hits here and there, but like most of his teammates, it was not his day. 6
3 Mornay Smith: Pinged in the first two scrums but turned the tide in the scrums, winning three off Danilo Fischetti. When the Saints changed their front row, he conceded again. Fine in other facets. 5
2 Akker van der Merwe: Wolhuter’s inability to find touch, paired with Van der Merwe’s average throws, limited the Bulls’ ability to launch from the lineout. When the lineout was accurate, the ensuing attack was not – obviously not Van der Merwe’s doing. An average showing as he wasn’t his usual punchy self with his carries and had limited influence at the breakdown. 5
1 Alulutho Tshakweni: His claim that Emmanuel Iyogun tripped him first may have been valid, but frankly, his brain explosion robbed the Bulls of any momentum and denied them any chance of a late comeback. He was yellow-carded, the Bulls were 21-5 behind, and by the time they were back to 15 men, the visitors were down 40-5. He conceded two scrum penalties before then in what was a back-and-forth scrum battle, but his action was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 2
Replacements: Nizaam Carr and Embrose Papier were the early subs that actually made a positive impact, but there is not much to write home about with the rest. As mentioned above, Ackermann really should have thrown Johannes into the mix earlier. 3