Bulls 'B-team' put to the sword by Northampton Saints in Champions Cup humiliation

The Bulls’ Champions Cup aspirations have all but expired after a humbling 50-5 defeat to Northampton at Franklin Gardens on Sunday evening.

The moment coach Johan Ackermann named a squad for the trip to England that was without 11 first-choice players, the result of this game was never in doubt, given that the Saints had named a full-strength side, spearheaded by talk-of-the-town No 8 Henry Pollock.

After the Bulls’ home loss to Bordeaux in the first round, it seems their focus shifted to the United Rugby Championship. Their remaining fixtures in the Champions Cup are a home game against Bristol (January 10) and an away fixture against Pau (January 16), but it will be tough for them to rejuvenate their challenge from their current position.

The Bulls started confidently enough, winning an early scrum penalty, although Kade Wolhuter’s first attempt at goal in a Bulls jersey was a shocker. The first 10 minutes were a kicking battle before the home team found space out wide. Almost inevitably, it was Pollock who made a try-making pass to right wing Ollie Sleightholme, who stormed down the touchline to the corner.

At this early stage, the Bulls lost scrumhalf Zak Burger to injury, with Embrose Papier taking over. As the first quarter ended, Sleightholme undid his good work in scoring his try when he fumbled a pass, and the ball fell to his grateful opposite number, Stravino Jacobs, who scampered 40m to the tryline.

That would be the only time the Bulls troubled the scoreboard operators. Wolhuter, still looking for his kicking boots, could not convert.

The Bulls grew in confidence, and the game was a tight arm wrestle until 10 minutes before half-time, when the Saints enjoyed their best period of territory and possession. After a line-out deep in the Bulls’ 22, Smith worked the blindside from a ruck, and left wing George Hendy sped in at the corner flag. Smith again knocked over the conversion from the touchline, and 14-5 would be the halftime score.

The Bulls needed to score first in the second half, but it was the Smith-Hendy axis which struck again, this time the flyhalf nudging a grubber through the defence for the winger to ground over the line. And yet again, Smith nailed a difficult conversion.

The wheels came off for the Bulls when loosehead prop Alulutho Tshakweni was caught kicking a Northampton player and was yellow-carded. Tshakweni was livid and remonstrated that he had been tripped, retaliating in the heat of the moment. Replays suggested a Saints player had bumped into him when both were following a clearance kick.

The home side immediately capitalised, with Pollock surging over after taking a short pass close to the line from scrumhalf Alex Mitchell. England lock Alex Coles barged over shortly after to mark the three-quarter stage of the game.

At 35-5 with 20 minutes to go, the situation was hopeless for the Bulls, and it became embarrassing when a Pollock blast through the defence set up Sleightholme for his second try. Hendy completed his hat-trick when the Saints went blind from a lineout maul, and the home team closed in on 50 points, reaching the mark with a minute to go when flank Josh Kemeny romped over.

Scorers

Northampton (14) 50

Tries: Ollie Sleightholme (2), George Hendy (3), Alex Coles, Henry Pollock, Josh Kemeny; Conversions: Fin Smith (5)

Bulls (5) 5

Try: Stravino Jacobs