Comment by Ashfak Mohamed
Every man and his dog had written off the Sharks and given them very little chance of beating the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
There was almost no way that the Durbanites could emerge victorious. They were missing several top-class Springboks due to resting protocols, injuries or suspension, and the Bulls had come off their first ever United Rugby Championship win in Cape Town over the Stormers.
Jake White had picked his strongest possible team, although there were also a few stars missing for various reasons, and the Bulls had done almost everything but win.
The Pretoria outfit had decimated the Sharks scrum, with Wilco Louw again demonstrating that he should undoubtedly be the Bok No 3 against the All Blacks in New Zealand this year.
The Bulls pack almost walked forward in the set-piece, which led to several penalties and maul opportunities.
At one stage, the Sharks were even down to 12 men due to yellow cards to Jason Jenkins, Corné Rahl and Ntuthuko Mchunu – yet the Bulls were unable to get past a tenacious Sharks who played with absolute heart and soul to pull off an upset.
There was still half-an-hour to go, and the Bulls had just taken a 12-10 lead after Johan Grobbelaar scored a try off a lineout drive.
Grobbies dots down in the corner 🐂
— vodacomrugby (@VodacomRugga) February 15, 2025
Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby take advantage of a 13 man Hollywoodbets Sharks 🟨#BULvSHA | @Vodacom #URC | #VUpYourSummer pic.twitter.com/6xRigunOL8
A dog’s breakfast of a game up to that point suddenly saw the Bulls just drilling the Sharks forwards, and it was easy to think that it would lead to a blow-out from the hosts in the final quarter.
But it was a blow-out of a different kind. The Bulls had already lost their shape early in the game and battled to get into a rhythm with ball-in-hand, and it came back to haunt them in the end as they went from one blunder to another.
All those wasted opportunities kept the Sharks – who had benefited from the stop-start nature of the game due to knock-ons, injury treatments and the like – in the game.
They landed the knockout punch in sensational fashion in the last 25 minutes with tries by fullback Jordan Hendrikse, flank Tino Mavesere and wing Yaw Penxe.
The Penxe touchdown encapsulated the Bulls’ performance, as fullback Devon Williams and wing Sergeal Petersen collided in mid-air as they both tried to claim a pinpoint up-and-under from Sharks No 10 Siya Masuku.
Another one😳
Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby trail by 17 at Loftus! #BULvSHA | @Vodacom #URC | #VUpYourSummer pic.twitter.com/DvIdyuc0RS
The Bulls were just all over the place in general play, and lacked the cohesion that they normally produce at Loftus Versfeld.
The Sharks spoiled as much as possible at the breakdowns and stopped the home side from getting into their flow with ball-in-hand, and there were too many individual efforts from the Bulls instead of working together as a team.
If it hadn’t been for their scrum dominance, the final score may have been even bigger in favour of the Sharks.
Magic from Mavesere 🤌#BULvSHA | @Vodacom #URC | #VupYourSummer pic.twitter.com/tRXbSDC0IH
The defeat won’t hamper the Bulls’ chances of hosting a quarter-final towards the end of the season, but perhaps it is the necessary wake-up call that they needed before they take on the Lions and Stormers over the next two weeks.
Last week’s victory in Cape Town papered over some of the cracks that were exposed again against the Sharks, such as the Willie le Roux experiment at flyhalf, the massive hole left by injuries to Ruan Nortjé and Elrigh Louw, and the huge contribution star No 8 Cameron Hanekom – who had a niggle this week – normally makes.
White will have to think long and hard about some of his selections, especially in the backline, if he doesn’t want the loss to the Sharks to become an even bigger issue going forward.
Points-Scorers
Bulls 19 – Tries: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar (2). Conversion: David Kriel (1), Boeta Chamberlain (1).
Sharks 29 – Tries: Ethan Hooker, Jordan Hendrikse, Tino Mavesere, Yaw Penxe. Conversions: Hendrikse (1), Siya Masuku (2). Penalty: Hendrikse (1).