Cape Town – Jake White felt that the Bulls “probably left a couple of points out there”, but praised his team for keeping their cool in the second half in a 31-15 United Rugby Championship win over the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Last year’s finalists had rumbled their way into a 15-3 lead after just 23 minutes, following Cornal Hendricks’ superb try, but then allowed the Lions back into the game.
The home side levelled matters through touchdowns by Francke Horn and Marius Louw, and the Bulls were feeling the heat at 15-15 early in the second half.
But flyhalf Chris Smith slotted two penalties for a six-point lead, and a mixture of solid defence and energy from the replacements secured a comfortable victory in the end.
“Very happy. I think we probably left a couple of points out there, but I enjoyed the way we showed composure. At 15-3 up, it looked like we probably could let our hair down a bit and have a go at them,” White said afterwards.
“Then all of a sudden it’s 15-all, with about 25-30 (minutes) left to go. The way they showed their composure, put the reserves on – I got the feeling they got cohesive, and that’s always difficult, because you don’t want to put reserves on when you are up against it. But I think we won in that area tonight.”
The Pretoria side will be delighted in getting their campaign off to a winning start, having lost five out of their first six games last season.
#LIOvBUL FT: We call it a night at the Park! The Vodacom Bulls emerge victorious with a satisfying 15-31 win. What a game. That set the marker for the season ahead. 🔥#TrueToTheBlue @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/9Ii2Hc3t63
“I have no doubt that the Lions would have targeted this game, from the point of view that they would have had 10 weeks (to prepare),” White said.
“The Bulls opening game is one of their priorities, and I knew it was always going to be tough – and it always is tough here at the Lions.
“It’s a difficult place to win. They obviously play a style that suits them, and it’s a difficult side to break down and get rhythm in your attack.
“So, I look now and saw Cardiff won in Cardiff against Munster, and Benetton won in Benetton against Glasgow. So, to get an away win is obviously a massive bonus for us – if that is sort of the trend (home wins) of the tournament… you are going to have to get a couple of away wins as well.”
Points-Scorers
Lions 15 – Tries: Francke Horn, Marius Louw. Conversion: Jordan Hendrikse (1). Penalty: Hendrikse (1).
Bulls 31 – Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Cornal Hendricks, Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Conversions: Chris Smith (1), Morné Steyn (1). Penalties: Smith (4).
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