Bulls player ratings: ‘Terrific’ playmakers take control while star midfielder ‘breaks down’ defence in Italy
Bulls player ratings: 'Terrific' playmakers take control while star midfielder 'breaks down' defence in Italy
The Bulls comfortably brushed aside Zebre in their URC opener, beating the hosts 13-47 on Saturday evening.
Here are our Bulls player ratings.
Backs
15 Willie le Roux: The experienced Springbok international stepped into the playmaker role more often than not, dishing out flat balls for his hungry forwards to run on to. A couple of loose passes befell him early on, but from then on he was excellent, carrying the ball 14 times, setting up two tries and having to do next to nothing in defence. 8
14 Sebastian de Klerk: It was a rather quiet game for the usually lively winger, although he did manage to average over 10 metres per carry, which is impressive by anyone’s standards. 6
13 Stedman Gans: Showed fast feet when in the tighter areas, but overall struggled to make the same impact as his fellow midfielder. Not a bad showing, just outshone. 6
12 Harold Vorster: A knock-on early doors in promising position wasn’t the start that he’d have wanted, but he certainly didn’t let it affect him. He led the stats for carries made and line breaks to wear down the Zebre defence, before being rewarded with a simple finish in the second half. 8
11 Stravino Jacobs: The talented winger showed electric footwork to beat six defenders and make 88 metres in a display that reinforced why he is revered as one of the most promising young wingers in South Africa. 8
10 Curwin Bosch: The 29-year-old sat back and watched as Le Roux led the attack from 10, Bosch taking it all in. This may have been part of the Bulls’ game plan, but if not, then he will need to familiarise himself with the attack quickly, as it was clear that he is a new arrival. 5
9 Paul de Wet: The star of the show. He sniped incredibly well throughout, making multiple line breaks, beating five defenders and running 118 metres with the ball in hand. His support play was terrific as well. He was unlucky not to score after an excellent Jacobs break, but did see his name on the scoresheet by the end of the evening. 9
Forwards
8 Jeandre Rudolph: His 75th-minute yellow card was the only blemish on an otherwise superb showing that included a chart-topping tackle stat and a couple of turnovers. It was also not a rare sight to see the giant back-rower stretching his legs during the match, and he certainly looked like he was enjoying himself when he took a rest five minutes before the end. 8
7 Hanro Liebenberg: Not the all-encompassing performance we come to expect of the giant back-row. His discipline cost him at times, and he wasn’t as involved as perhaps he would have liked at times. But overall, a satisfactory performance which saw him hit and carry hard when required. 7
6 Marcell Coetzee: A hard-working display that saw him one short on tackles with Rudolf, and he carried almost as many times as Vorster. His work rate truly set him apart on the evening, not allowing the Zebre players a moment’s rest. Was turned over a few times, mind. 8
5 Reinhardt Ludwig: The lineout general took nine takes to give his side a perfect set-piece, but he was also effective around the park, giving the scrum his sizeable backing. Like Coetzee, however, he could do with protecting the ball a little better, but we can let him off after getting a couple of tries. 8
4 Ruan Vermaak: His breakdown work was superb and he played an important part in the power game down the centre, trundling over for their bonus-point score early in the second half. Again, work rate was superb. 7
3 Francois Klopper: Three missed tackles in defence and didn’t offer anywhere near enough in attack, lthough his scrummaging game was solid, which you could argue was the reason the Bulls were so dominant in the first place. Perhaps just not the game for a prop forward. 6
2 Juann Else: Great work in the breakdown, and his set-piece skills were excellent. Didn’t offer nearly enough with ball in hand. However, his defensive shift was busy. 7
1 Alulutho Tshakweni: Made some big hits, and was utterly dominant in the scrum, putting his opposite number under constant pressure. Short of a few carries, though. 7
Replacements: The front row came on first, and just added to the pressure the Bulls had already exerted over Zebre. The rest came on in the final few minutes, with Zak Burger getting on the scoreboard at the end.