URC: Connacht 14 Vodacom Bulls 28
Connacht suffered a disappointing 28-14 defeat to South African visitors Vodacom Bulls after a one-sided opening half in Dexcom Stadium on Saturday night.
The Bulls had wrapped up this seventh-round URC game by taking a 28-0 lead, helped by the loss of Connacht’s Sean Jansen with a red card after 21 minutes.
It turned the game in favour of the visitors, and although Pete Wilkins’s side produced a fightback in the second half, the deficit was too much to overcome.
“It was tough, and the red card made it tougher,” said Wilkins. “A key part was us going toe to toe physically with that big Bulls pack and Sean Jansen is a key member of the personnel in terms of being able to do that. To lose him was a blow, it was important to bring [Paul] Boyle on, but it meant sacrificing Santi Cordero, and that had a big knock-on effect in how we could attack, but it is certainly no excuse.
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“For the opportunities we created we did not score enough points when we did have possession, and for the errors we were forcing out of the Bulls and forcing them to kick, we let them score too many.”
Bulls, with more than 60 per cent of possession, held a 14-0 lead at the break, and it could have been more, but for Connacht’s determined defence.
Forced to make more 73 tackles in the opening half, Connacht conceded an opening try from Sebastian Klerk after five minutes, with their superiority up front providing the platform.
Connacht did well to hold the Bulls out for long periods, but it was only a matter time before the visitors would reap the rewards for the dominance, and after 35 minutes Ambrose Papier touched down, with Johan Goosen adding the extras.
On the back foot for long periods, the home side was only able to create one try-scoring opportunity late in the half, courtesy of a superb break from Boyle. But it was all over by the 42nd minute when centre David Kriel raced down the left wing to score his side’s third try, extending the visitors’ lead to 21-0.
Connacht created a likely opportunity to score after a superb break from replacement Caolin Blade, but an intercepted pass ensured the Bulls wrapped up their four-try bonus point by the 54th minute.
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It was not until the 62nd minute Connacht were able to breach the visitors’ defence, with David Hawkshaw breaking through with Forde adding the extras.
It gave the home side a fighting chance, particularly after Bulls’ Gumede was red carded, but it was only in the dying embers of the game that Connacht bagged a second try through Blade, converted by Cathal Forde.
An 83rd-minute penalty provided an opportunity to get something out of the game, but time was not on their side and Connacht were left to rue a poor first-half display against a physically stronger South African side.
Scoring sequence – 5 mins: De Klerk try, Goosen con, 0-7; 35: Papier try, Goosen con, 0-14; (half-time 0-14); 43: Kriel try, Goosen con, 0-21; 54: Moodie try, Goosan con, 0-28; 61: Hawkshaw try, Forde con, 7-28; 74: Blade try, Forde con, 14-28.
CONNACHT: S Jennings; S Bolton, P O’Conor, C Forde, S Cordero; J Carty, B Murphy; D Buckley, D Heffernan, J Aungier; J Joyce (capt), N Murray; J Murphy, C Oliver, S Jansen.
Replacements: P Boyle for Cordero (24 mins); D Hawkshaw for Forde (temp, 29-40) and for Carty (55); D Tierney-Martin for Heffernan, J Duggan for Buckley, S Illo for Augier, S Hurley-Langton for Oliver (all 48); D Murray for Joyce, C Blade for Murphy (both 52).
Red card: S Jansen (21 mins).
BULLS: W le Roux, C Moodie, D Kriel, H Vorster, S de Klerk; J Goosen, E Papier; A Tshakweni, A van der Merwe, F Klopper; R Vermaak, JF van Heerden; M Coetzee (capt), C Wiese, M Gumede.
Replacements: C Hanekom for Coetzee (29 mins); G Steenekamp for Gumede (h/t); J Grobbelaar for Van de Merwe (55); S Gans for De Klerk, M Smith for Klopper, A Dyantyi for Vorster (all 62); J Kirsten for Wiese, K Johannes for Papier (both 73).
Red card: Gumede (56 mins).
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland).
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