A desperately poor Vodacom Bulls suffered a heavy defeat to Leinster in the URC final at Croke Park on Friday night.
Johan Ackermann’s men lost 36-7 having trailed 22-0 at half-time.
It was a fourth defeat in five URC finals for the Bulls, who must be wondering what they have to do to get across the line in this competition.
Having lost last year’s Dublin decider 32-7, the Bulls had spoken in the build-up to this final about preventing Leinster’s lightning fast starts and maintaining their discipline.
The Pretoria-based side failed horribly on both counts.
In a nightmare first half – and an almost exact repeat of last season’s final – Leinster ripped the Bulls defence to shreds time and again, while the visitors also had two players yellow-carded.
Less than two minutes in, centre Canan Moodie couldn’t resist sticking out a hand and knocking down a pass as Leinster threatened down the left flank. He was duly sin-binned.
It’s a disastrous start for the Vodacom Bulls
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Canan Moodie is sent to the bin
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The Bulls did well to resist early Leinster pressure on their tryline, but disaster then struck on their first real attack.
Flyhalf Handré Pollard dropped a poor pass in midfield and a hack forward was collected by wing Tommy O’Brien to run in unopposed. Flyhalf Sam Prendergast converted.
It got worse when a quick long throw-in by scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park saw Leinster scythe through the heart of the Bulls defence before centre Rieko Ioane finished smartly for a 12-0 lead.
Jamison Gibson-Park to Hugo Keenan who delivers a great pass to Rieko Ioane who gets the try for Leinster.#LEIvBUL #URC #BKTURC #NeverLessThanEverything #SinBinRugby pic.twitter.com/lgpHlBG14k
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The Bulls were desperately hanging on in the face of waves of relentless Leinster attacks, and veteran fullback Willie le Roux was next to see yellow – also for a deliberate knock-on.
No 8 Jack Conan – who had replaced injured Leinster captain Caelan Doris early on – then crashed over to make it 19-0 after 27 minutes.
A year ago, Leinster were 19-0 up after 22 minutes.
Prendergast then slotted a penalty for a 22-0 lead.
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It took Leinster less than six minutes of the second half to breach the Bulls defence again, as Prendergast darted over from close in. The conversion saw the lead jump out to 29 and it was game over.
With Leinster reduced to 14 men after winger James Lowe was also sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, Moodie crashed over and Pollard converted to finally get the Bulls on the scoreboard just after the hour mark.
But it just wasn’t to be for the Bulls, who had two second-half tries – to centre Harold Vorster and lock Ruan Nortjé – harshly disallowed.
Replacement flyhalf Harry Byrne completed the rout with Leinster’s fifth try with four minutes remaining.
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LEINSTER – Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jack Conan, Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne. Conversions: Sam Prendergast (3), Harry Byrne. Penalty: Sam Prendergast.
BULLS – Try: Canan Moodie. Conversion: Handré Pollard.
Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Gallo Images
The post Déjà vu for Bulls as Leinster go back to back appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
A desperately poor Vodacom Bulls suffered a heavy defeat to Leinster in the URC final at Croke Park on Friday night.
The post Déjà vu for Bulls as Leinster go back to back appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
