Bulls deliver dominant display in eight-try romp over Ospreys

The Bulls delivered a dominant response to last weekend’s chastening defeat against Munster, scoring a 61-24 victory against the Ospreys at Loftus on Saturday.

The Bulls ran in eight tries, forcing Ospreys fullback Max Nagy to give away a penalty try to claim a vital win in front of 8,300 spectators. 

The Bulls delivered a more rounded display than was the case against the defending champions last week, showing greater commitment to their structures and allowing their forwards to first gain the ascendancy before unleashing their backline.

The Ospreys, so impressive in their win in Cape Town last week, couldn’t rekindle the same kind of efficiency they displayed against the Stormers and the errors they committed on Saturday, were punished by the Bulls. 

The home team, led by the hard-running Louw, and a dominant scrum, had plenty of front-foot ball.

However, while the ascendancy was reflected on the halftime scoreboard, the fact that the Ospreys were still within touch at halftime and could have been closer, also indicated the Bulls' lethargy.

Hooker Johan Grobbelaar and centre David Kriel had turned their side’s early ascendancy into points but an unforced error from flyhalf Chris Smith, attempting a kick with no room available for one, saw the Ospreys stay in touch thanks to a try by their scrumhalf, Luke Davies.   

But the Bulls were forcing even more mistakes out of the Welsh side with Louw’s power a prominent feature in the first half.

By halftime they’d wrapped up the bonus point, after Kriel intercepted a pass from Ospreys eighthman Morgan Morris to send Canaan Moodie, restored to his preferred No.14 jersey, strolling in for the first of his two tries. 

Though further from the action, Moodie’s impact was greater than had been the case during his sojourn at outside centre where, as Jake White explained, he “hasn’t been buzzing”.

“It's not his fault (but) he hasn't given me what I thought,” White explained. 

Provided with more room, Moodie was able to use his pace, with his second try the result of a lovely grubber from the impressive Kriel.

The forwards’ authority also allowed Willie le Roux greater scope as a playmaker, which was important given Smith’s struggles in open play.

Though the 29-year-old flyhalf isn’t a rookie, his sluggishness was understandable having come into the starting line-up for the first time after Johan Goosen’s three-week suspension for his red card against Munster.

Le Roux’s sweeping impact and range of passing provided the space for centres Vorster and Kriel to thrive, with the Bulls running in four more tries, before Ospreys full-back Nagy was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on, the Bulls metres away from scoring in the left-corner.

The Ospreys struck back with two late tries of their own, but were unable to score a fourth to earn a bonus point which, given the logjam on the points table, could yet see them miss out on a playoff spot. 

The Bulls are chasing something bigger and Saturday saw them take a significant step towards achieving that. 

Scorers — 

Bulls 61 (26): Tries — Johan Grobbelaar, David Kriel, Kurt-Lee Arendse (2), Canaan Moodie (2), Embrose Papier, Willie Le Roux, Penalty Try. Conversions — Chris Smith (6), Jaco van der Walt.

Ospreys 24 (10): Tries — Luke Davies, Kieran Williams, Keelan Giles. Conversions — Jack Walsh (3). Penalty — Walsh