Handré Pollard’s 79th-minute penalty goal snatched victory for the Vodacom Bulls against the Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday night.
The Springbok flyhalf scored 18 points in a crucial 23-21 win that moved the Bulls up to seventh on the Vodacom URC log, ahead of Ulster, with two rounds remaining.
Pollard was successful with all five of his shots at goal, in stark contrast to opposite number Joe Hawkins, who missed three conversions.
Johan Ackermann’s men now return to Pretoria for matches against Zebre (9 May) and Benetton (16 May) to conclude their league-stage campaign.
The Bulls came into this fixture against the 14th-placed Scarlets as favourites.
And they struck early from a lineout set-piece play that saw Cheswill Jooste come off his wing to take an inside ball from midfielder Harold Vorster.
Talk about bursting onto the scene
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But the Scarlets hit back when a sustained attack was finished by winger Callum Woolley, and then took a 10-7 lead after 20 minutes when centre Eddie James ran the perfect line from a lineout to score.
The Bulls, with Wilco Louw back at tighthead prop, dominated at scrum time in the first half but weren’t given any reward by the referee.
After withstanding another Scarlets surge, the Bulls broke out from their 22 with a darting run from scrumhalf Embrose Papier resulting in a try to Pollard, who again slotted the conversion.
Talk about bursting onto the scene
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The Bulls were reduced to 14 men early in the second half when centre Stedman Gans was yellow-carded for an off-the-ball tackle.
And that became 13 after replacement prop Francois Klopper made an offside tackle on Scarlets flank Taine Plumtree, who looked set to score.
The hosts should perhaps have been awarded a penalty try, but it didn’t matter as No 8 Fletcher Anderson scored from the quick penalty tap to go 15-14 ahead.
Pollard made no mistake with a long-range penalty goal to regain the lead for the 13-man Bulls, before Hawkins finally found his radar to land a penalty of his own.
Restored to 15 men, the Bulls pack earned a scrum penalty that Pollard slotted, but the Scarlets forwards responded in kind and Hawkins held his nerve to edge the hosts 21-20 ahead.
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With five minutes remaining, the Bulls appeared to have scored a match-winning try when David Kriel collected replacement Willie le Roux’s cross-kick. But as the conversion was being lined up, the TMO alerted the referee to a forward pass earlier in the attack.
However, the Bulls won a penalty from the resultant scrum, kicked for the corner, and earned another penalty that Pollard sent between the uprights.
SCARLETS – Tries: Callum Woolley, Eddie James, Fletcher Anderson. Penalty: Joe Hawkins.
BULLS – Tries: Cheswill Jooste, Handré Pollard. Conversion: Handré Pollard (2). Penalties: Pollard (3).
Photo: Kian Abdullah/Gallo Images
The post Pollard boots Bulls past Scarlets appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Handré Pollard’s 79th-minute penalty goal snatched victory for the Vodacom Bulls against the Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday night.
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