Cameron Hanekom made his return for the Bulls after last playing at Loftus Versfeld in the United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal against the Sharks on June 7 2024.
He played the last 24 minutes as the Bulls beat Cardiff 40-7 and did more than survive because it typically did not take him long to settle and confirm his presence.
Before the final hooter, Hanekom played with aggression, tossed some Cardiff players around in the tackle, and made one of his famed jackal steals at the breakdown.
He was brilliant last season, starting 16 matches for the Bulls out of 20 and playing for 1,276 minutes. He made his Springboks Test debut against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff at the end of 2024, playing the final 39 minutes.
Everything pointed to Hanekom being a regular in the Springboks’ 2025 international season, only for a serious hamstring injury to end his season against the Sharks in the 38th minute of the semifinal.
It has been a tough nine months back for the 23-year-old No 8, with overtraining straining the hamstring and delaying his return by a few months. But against Cardiff he was back, and it looked like he had never left Loftus.
Coach’s relief and joy
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann must have felt relief and joy at Hanekom’s contribution and completion of the match, in which scrumhalf Embrose Papier was the headline act of a very strong team statement.
The Bulls, having lost seven in succession in all competitions, went on a four-match winning sequence, three of those in the URC, before losing at home a week ago to the Stormers.
It was imperative they won against Cardiff, who were fifth in the league after 12 rounds.
Home wins are non-negotiable when talking about the top eight in the final six rounds of the league, and the Bulls edged their way closer to the top four with the five league points against Cardiff, whose away form is as unimpressive as their home form is impressive.
Ackerman’s takeaways from the match would have been the defence and desire of every individual to scramble on defence. The Bulls trailed by seven points within five minutes but recovered to score 33 unanswered points by half-time.
They added another seven points in the second half, had a try disallowed because of accidental obstruction, and could have had two more with better decision-making.
Spectacular five-pointer
There were a few belters, and No 8 Nizaam Carr’s kick assist, from a loose pass, made for a spectacular five-pointer.
Papier, his pace the equal of any winger, was among the try scorers after an electric break from winger Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Individually, Arendse and Papier were outstanding. Canan Moodie was always a threat in the midfield, but he will be hard on himself for not turning his potent line breaks into five-pointers.
Double World Cup-winning No 10 Handre Pollard showed he still has power in his legs with a 50/22 hammer blow, kicked from within his 22 and into touch in Cardiff’s 22.
The Bulls’ backs were never shy to attack, but they were not reckless in their attack. The forwards were equally disciplined at the breakdown and powerful and imposing in the scrum and lineout.
Bulls captain and veteran Marcel Coetzee spoke afterwards about the players being true to the club’s DNA, which is dominance in the set-piece facets and in the collisions.
Accuracy and discipline
The Bulls made 462 post-contact metres to Cardiff’s 245 and forced 188 tackle attempts from the visitors, compared to the 118 they made.
Coetzee spoke of the team culturally letting themselves down against the Stormers and the need to execute with accuracy and discipline.
The accuracy was there in crucial times, and when there was inaccuracy, it was more out of exuberance and enthusiasm than recklessness or dismissiveness.
Defensively, there’s no comparison to the feeble efforts of earlier in the season when Bordeaux and the Lions surpassed 40 points at Loftus and England’s Bristol Bears scored 61 points, including nine tries in the Investec Champions Cup.
These Bulls kept Cardiff scoreless for the last 76 minutes.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.