Bulls v Munster: Five takeaways as ‘Springboks class’ shows in URC title statement with ‘weak’ Irish province ‘never on their level’
Kurt-Lee Arendse and Embrose Papier in action for the Bulls.
Following a 45-14 victory for the Bulls over Munster, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The top line
The Bulls ran rampant against a Munster side that could not deal with the pace and power of their opponents as Johan Ackermann’s men reached the semi-finals of the United Rugby Championship.
It was a dominant and, for the most part, ruthless display from the South Africans in Pretoria as they touched down six times to progress into the next stage of the competition. Embrose Papier led the way with two tries while Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom and Stravino Jacobs also touched down for the hosts.
In truth, they could have scored more points but they got a bit loose on occasions, especially after going 14-0 in front and then towards the end when the result was not in doubt. But even accounting for that, it was still a mightily impressive display and they now head to Scotland to face Glasgow Warriors in the URC last-four.
As for Munster, they mustered two tries through Jack O’Donoghue and Alex Nankivell – the second of which reduced the arrears to 17-14 – but they were never really on the Bulls’ level as yet another disappointing season ended in rather expected fashion.
Springboks class
There was a time when the Bulls were rather light on Test stars, but they are now awash with Springboks representatives and it showed on Saturday. Thanks predominantly to the work of Jake White, who played a significant role in revitalising an ailing franchise by both developing and bringing in quality players, they are now genuine title challengers.
While he did not deliver a title, White provided firm foundations for his successor, Ackermann, who was able to name 11 Boks in the starting line-up. In the front five alone, Gerhard Steenekamp (when fit) and Ruan Nortje have become crucial cogs in the national team set-up and when you have that set-piece dominance, it makes such a difference.
Although tighthead Wilco Louw, another key Bok, withdrew before kick-off due to illness, Steenekamp as expected was utterly dominant in the scrum while Nortje, who is one of the best lineout operators around, also made his presence felt.
Other individuals may be in and out of the Test XV, such as Canan Moodie and Handre Pollard, or South African legends being faded out, like Willie le Roux, but they are all quality operators that will give them a shot of lifting the trophy.
There were other standouts, with Papier and Arendse lighting it up behind the scrum and Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom (more on him later) brilliant in the back-row, but in truth you could name pretty much any one of the team that took to the field in Pretoria. It is an exceptionally gifted group that appears to be peaking at the right time.
Munster’s issues
It is fair to say they are numerous. Clayton McMillan certainly has plenty to correct in the off-season, if indeed he is still there given the number of issues he has had to contend with both on and off the field.
Some have been of his own making – the Roger Randle situation, and his defence of the Chiefs attack coach, was a PR disaster – but mostly the New Zealander has been a victim of a province which is struggling from top to bottom.
While they have a talented enough XV if all are fit, when they lose the likes Tadhg Beirne and Jack Crowley, just as they did for this clash, there is a significant drop-off, certainly when it comes to big play-off matches.
There are still plenty of good players in there, with Mike Haley, Nankivell and Craig Casey all high-quality operators, while Evan O’Connell, Brian Gleeson and Ruadhan Quinn are youngsters that may well make the step up to Test rugby eventually, but there simply isn’t enough of them.
Munster fans have moaned about IRFU favouritism towards their great rivals Leinster, and those complaints are understandable at times, but equally their player production has not been good enough over the past few years.
Some supporters will voice their frustration at the coaches after this pretty meek surrender, following a season where Munster have been awful to watch, but there is only so much they can do. Due to the province seemingly getting it wrong in every area at the moment, this weak squad that they put out was never going to get close to a stacked Bulls outfit.
Replacement for Kwagga
Following the sad news that Kwagga Smith will be spending a lengthy stint on the sidelines, Erasmus will be looking for the next in line to fill that vital ‘Bomb Squad’ position, and he may just have found it in Hanekom.
The Bulls number eight knows himself what it’s like to be injured and miss Springboks matches, having been absent for the whole of the 2025 Test season, but the 24-year-old is now re-finding his form and looks in fine shape ahead of the Nations Championship.
He is a slightly different player to Smith and isn’t someone who is yet known for being able to cover the backline but, with Andre Esterhuizen being a hybrid option, there is scope for having the explosive Hanekom on the bench. Heck, he could even start but, with Jasper Wiese the preferred option, a spot in the 23 would be just reward for his end-of-season performances.
Contrast in coaches
We have already briefly touched on McMillan, who arrived with much fanfare before the start of the season, but his situation is worth discussing further. It has certainly not gone to plan for the New Zealander amid a campaign which has been both controversial and frustrating in equal measure.
It all started so well and when they stunned Leinster in October, inflicting what could be considered a 31-14 hammering on their arch-rivals, it appeared as though McMillan could bring the good times back. However, it soon started to go wrong and the province never really recovered as they stuttered into the play-offs and saw their chances comprehensively ended by the Bulls.
Pressure will inevitably come on the former Chiefs boss but it probably won’t just be for results. The initial call to appoint Randle, probably on the say-so of McMillan, was utterly abysmal judgement, while his press conference defending the decision was also poor.
It may be the case that Munster’s head coach equally felt let down that he was ultimately unable to bring his man in and, given the province’s other issues – many beyond his control – he could simply call it a day.
That uncertainty was something which engulfed his opposite number at the start of the campaign, with Ackermann’s future not assured midway through the season. But changes to his backroom team around Christmas time seemed to do the trick and the Bulls have since found their fluency. Irrespective of what happens in the semi-final, it is almost certain that the 55-year-old will lead them in 2026/27.