Debut try for Willie le Roux as Bulls thrash Connacht

The Bulls returned to winning ways in the United Rugby Championship after beating Connacht 53-27 on Saturday night at Loftus Versfeld.

The win was the Bulls’ fourth in six outings in the new URC season, further solidifying their credentials as one of the favourites to go all the way in the competition this term.

There was a lot of excitement for the Bulls’ encounter against Connacht as it was the team’s second home game of the season and the return of their Rugby World Cup Springboks. The Bulls faithful came out in the scorching heat of Pretoria to see Boks Marco van Staden, Willie le Roux, and Canan Moodie, who was on the bench, in action.

The fans were particularly over the moon for the debut of Boks fullback Le Roux.

Le Roux takes charge

The experienced Le Roux showed a few jitters at the start of his debut, the butterflies in his stomach no doubt to blame for that, but as the game settled after both sides traded penalties early, Le Roux seemed to settle and controlled things from the back with his tactical kicking and assuming the leadership role of the backline. He could be seen barking instructions and chairing meetings with his fellow backs.

Le Roux’s debut got rosy as the Bulls took control of the game, completely dominating Connacht. The Bulls used the forwards to stamp their authority on the game, proving too powerful for Connacht, who have a reputation for being a physical side.

The dominance of the Bulls’ pack translated into their scoring three tries through hooker Akker van der Merwe, flanker Elrigh Louw, and lock Ruan Nortje. The 15 points from the forwards coupled with 10 points from Jaco van der Walt’s boot saw the Bulls lead 25-6 after 35 minutes. Connacht responded with a converted try through Diarmuid Kilgallen to make the score 25-13.

Two minutes before the break, calls of “Give it to Willle” came from the Loftus stands. When the ball eventually landed in the hands of the playmaker, he shifted it to the wing and when it was moved back on the inside, the bounce of the rugby ball favoured him and he charged down the line to score a converted try that saw his side lead 32-13.

Second half

The second stanza started with the Bulls thinking they had extended their lead after Zak Burger finished off a lovely worked try but it was ruled out after Van der Merwe was found to have infringed. The hooker was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes.

Connacht made their numerical advantage count as Tadgh McElroy scored their second try with Jack Carthy adding the extras to make it 32-20.

The Bulls then showed their mettle and stood firm when Connacht tried to put pressure on them. The home side managed to put some distance between themselves and the visitors when Nizaam Carr scored a converted try to take the scorers to 39-20.

The match was taken out of Connacht’s grasp when Bulls midfielder David Kriel scored his side’s sixth try of the game. Van der Walt converted the two points, capping off an impressive performance with the boot, scoring 16 points.

Chris Smith, who replaced van der Walt, got in on the action with a converted try to make the score 53-20. Connacht scored a consolation try through Shamus Hurley Langton with JJ Hanrahan getting the conversion. The Bulls walked away with a convincing 53-27 win.

Scorers
Bulls
Tries- Akker van der Merwe, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Nortje, Willie le Roux, Nizaam Carr, David Kriel, Chris Smith; Conversions – Jaco van der Walt (5), Chris Smith ; Penalty – Van der Walt (2)
Connacht
Tries- Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tadgh McElroy, Shamus Hurley Langton; Conversions – Jack Carthy (2), JJ Hanrahan; Penalty – Carthy (2)