Bulls produce heady mix of pace and power to claim bonus-point win over Exeter Chiefs

PRETORIA - The Bulls proved that they can be Champions Cup contenders by pulling off a hard-fought 39-28 bonus-point win over the Exeter Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.

The English club’s captain, Test centre Henry Slade, received a red card in the 55th minute for a high tackle on Bulls fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse – but the hosts had already scored their fifth try by then and were well on their way to victory.

The red card completed a match that had just about everything, including French referee Mathieu Raynal having to leave the field with a hamstring injury with about 30 minutes left, with compatriot Thomas Charabas replacing him.

It was Charabas who made the call to send Slade off, and while it might be regarded as a bit harsh as the No 13 had made contact with Arendse’s shoulder first before his arm went around the neck.

But the referee watched the incident at full speed on a TV replay and said that there was a “high degree of danger” that warranted the sending-off.

The Bulls, though, were full value for a well-deserved triumph against the former champions, who had dispatched the Pretoria side’s second-stringers 44-14 at Sandy Park in December, while also operating without director of rugby Jake White, who is recovering from an operation.

The home team’s pack set the tone with an aggressive approach, with tighthead prop Mornay Smith winning his scrum battle against experienced former Wallaby Scott Sio.

Flanks Marco van Staden and Nizaam Carr went hard at the breakdowns, with Carr also ever-present in staying up with the play on attack and defence.

Captain Ruan Nortje was keen to lay down a marker early on by opting for a line-out instead of three points from a penalty, and the move paid off as No 8 Elrigh Louw charged over from a trademark tap-kick play in the 15th minute.

The visitors didn’t hold back, even though their pack were unable to get on top upfront, with fullback Josh Hodge slicing through after David Kriel shot out of the defensive line.

The Bulls left wing made up for his error soon enough by finishing off a thrilling passage of play in the 25th minute, which was sparked by replacement hooker Bismarck du Plessis’ breakdown turnover, before Arendse sped down the touchline and put Kriel away.

Exeter kept pushing the envelope on attack, and were rewarded for their endeavour before half-time when centre Solomone Kata grounded the ball after getting stuck into a driving maul to reduce the deficit to 15-14.

But this Bulls outfit is inventive, and they came up with another smart play from a tap kick that resulted in lock Ruan Vermaak crossing the whitewash.

Flyhalf Chris Smith missed a couple of conversions, though, which meant that the home side had a 20-14 lead at the break.

The Bulls created some breathing space early in the second half courtesy of centre Wandisile Simelane, who showed off his soccer skills by chipping a loose ball ahead and catching it ahead of Jack Nowell to grab the bonus-point try.

Soon after Raynal went off with his hamstring problem, hooker Johan Grobbelaar showed great patience to stay bound to a maul and go all the way, and the Bulls were 32-14 ahead in the 52nd minute.

Exeter suffered a major setback after that with Slade’s red card, which was followed by replacement hooker Jack Yeandle being flattened by a Vermaak charge that saw the No 16 go off as well.

Arendse and Simelane got more ball out wide as the second half wore on, but some desperate scramble defence by the visitors kept them out.

Exeter hit back via former Bulls lock Jannes Kirsten’s try with 15 minutes left, but Bulls No 13 Simelane grabbed an intercept try put the result beyond doubt.

POINTS-SCORERS

BULLS 39 – Tries: Elrigh Louw, David Kriel, Ruan Vermaak, Wandisile Simelane (2), Johan Grobbelaar. Conversions: Chris Smith (2), Johan Goosen (1). Penalty: Smith (1).

EXETER 28 – Tries: Josh Hodge, Solomone Kata, Jannes Kirsten, Jack Innard. Conversions: Joe Simmonds (2), Harvey Skinner (2).