Bulls beat Sharks to secure URC top two spot

More urgent and alert than their hosts the Bulls secured a top two spot in United Rugby Championship (URC) when they beat the Sharks 26-14 in Durban on Saturday.

With more to play for it were the Bulls, who bossed the bigger moments, while the Sharks, perhaps still basking in the afterglow of their triumph in the Challenge Cup final, were a slightly off the pace.

Bulls' replacement hooker Akker van der Merwe scored a bonus point try with four minutes to go as the Bulls also firmed their place at the top of the South African Shield.

Van der Merwe's second try also served to ease some nerves.

Having established a healthy 19-7 lead after 55 minutes, the Bulls dropped their intensity, while handling errors compounded their frustration.

Sharks' replacement loose forward Dylan Ricardson's try the 68th minute put the game in the balance but Van der Merwe put the issue beyond doubt eight minutes later.

The Bulls with loose forward Elrigh Louw and their front row leading the way, held the upper hand for the bulk of the game and the visitors should perhaps have put the game to bed earlier.

The Sharks started the game with intent and the Bulls were forced to defend with verve and vigour.

Kurt-Lee Arendse in particular applied shoulder to the wheel in harassing the Bulls' ball carriers.

The visitors' sterling work on defence, however, was undone in the 16th minute when a defensive line-out went awry when the Bulls opted the throw deep.

The visitors blundered allowing Siya Masuku to pounce under the posts.

Despite the Sharks fielding an all-Springbok front row in Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch, the Bulls' scrum gained early traction and they kept ploughing forward.

David Kriel rounded off a superb team try which was ignited by Embrose Papier who caught the Sharks' napping after he appeared to go nowhere slowly.

Papier's skip pass helped apply the finishing touch too as he found the Sharks wanting out wide.

Papier has regained his mojo this season and again he delivered a performance that helped the Bulls gain valuable metres on foot.

Opposite him Cameron Wright proved influential in getting the Sharks motoring early on, while his touch finders were timely pressure relievers as the game wore on.

Though they had the territorial edge the hosts failed to drive home their attacking promise later in the first half.

Handling errors and imprecision at the ruck conspired against them.

The Bulls, after absorbing early pressure, finished the first half stronger.

They added a second try from the back of the maul when Johan Grobbelaar crashed over.

Grobbelaar had a far more productive afternoon than Mbonambi but the depth of South Africa's front row resources was also evident in the performance of Gerhard Steenekamp and Wilco Louw.