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The Vodacom Bulls made a statement of intent before the national season by beating a rusty Sharks team 49-28 on Super Fan Saturday in Pretoria. DYLAN JACK reports.
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The Sharks and Bulls had named 30-man squads before the game, but they had starting lineups with a fresh feel to them as multiple players debuted. Some household names also returned to South African domestic rugby.
There were plenty of tactical and substitute changes throughout the contest as coaches Jake White and Sean Everitt looked to test their combinations while giving their shy Springboks a good number of minutes before next weekend’s Springbok Showdown and the Rugby Championship next month.
However, there is no doubt that White would be the happiest coach, as his team delivered an attacking masterclass in the first half, while depriving the Sharks of decent possession and territory. White will be delighted how his bottom line and his pack, which have changed a lot since mid-March, consolidated against a team that topped the Super Rugby conference in March.
Most concerning for Sean Everitt will be how his team dealt with the kicking game. The boot was an important part of the Sharks’ arsenal earlier this year, but running backs Sanele Nohamba and Curwin Bosch struggled to handle the game in this regard. The three sharks also struggled to deal with Morne Steyn’s aerial bombs. To be fair, the Sharks did not have their usual three defenders Aphelele Fassi, Sbu Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi, while Madosh Tambwe also missed the game through injury.
The Bulls were simply excellent in the first half, as they beat the Sharks to outsmart their opponents five attempts to one and open a 35-7 lead at halftime.
There will be a lot of postgame focus on how the Bulls’ seven converts Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse did in their first game of fifteen this year.
Gans, who had previously played for the Bulls in the Currie Cup and Rugby Challenge, was excellent on the outside center, scoring a try after chasing down a kick from Steyn and also assisting Travis Ismaiel with an excellent line to a flat pass from Steyn.
Arendse produced similar moments of magic as he ran from inside his own 22 and passed a pair of defenders to make it 21-0 with a fantastic individual attempt. Soon after, Arendse took his second traditional move at the baseline and Cornal Hendricks’ good hands left him with a much simpler finish in the corner.
Rugby is back and we’ve missed attempts like this! Kurt-Lee Arendse, take a bow. The Blitzboks midfielder runs across the field to score for the Vodacom Bulls who lead 28-0 🔥💨
Watch live: https://t.co/RYwm9aZlb5#SuperFanSaturday pic.twitter.com/MhKPrrSSyD
– SuperSport) (@SuperSportTV) September 26, 2020
The Sharks got off the beat and struggled for consistent and meaningful possession in the right areas of the field. However, they were able to grab a couple of downs in the middle when scrum half Grant Williams scored with a quick bunt, while Marius Louw caught the ball from Jan-Hendrik Wessels’ arms to score.
The game lost its structure in the second half when the two coaches rang the substitutions and emptied their benches. Youngsters Dan Jooste and David Kriel scored for the Sharks and Bulls, respectively. Jaden Hendrickse then added more respect to the scoreboard for the Sharks with a try, before Kriel took his second to end the try festival.
Bulls – Attempts: Schalk Erasmus, Stedman Gans, Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Travis Ismaiel, David Kriel (2). Conversions: Morne Steyn (5), Chris Smith.
Sharks – Attempts: Grant Williams, Marius Louw, Dan Jooste, Jaden Hendrikse. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (2), Jordan Chait (2).
Bulls – 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Cornal Hendricks, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje , 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Schalk Erasmus, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Subs: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Juandre Kruger, 20 Tim Agaba, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Chris Smith, 23 Jade Stighling, 24 Clinton Swart, 25 David Kriel, 26 Sintu Manjezi, 27 Muller Uys, 28 Marco Jansen van Vurren, 29 Nizaam Carr, 30 Stravino Jacobs.
Sharks – one5 Manie Libbok, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am (c), 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 Muller du Plessis, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Celimpilo Gumede, 6 Evan Roos, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Dan Jooste, 17, Mzamo Majola, 18 Joh-Hubert Meyer, 19 JJ van der Mescht, 20 Emile van Heerden, 21 Adam Mountford, 22 Tera Mtembu, 23 Phepsi Buthelezi, 24 Jaden Hendrikse, 25 Jordan Chait, 26 Caleb Dingaan, 27 Marius Louw, 28 JP Pietersen, 29 Grant Williams, 30 Thaakir Abrahams.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images
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