BULLDOZED

THE Bulls will travel to Dublin where they will line up against Leinster in the United Rugby Championship final this week. 

This after coach Jake White’s men klapped fellow South Africans he Sharks 25-13 in their semifinal at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, while the Warriors KO’d defending champions the Warriors 37-19.

The SA derby in Pretoria on Saturday, in front of a near capacity crowd of 47 214 fans, was epic as both sides threw everything at one another, although the main difference between the teams was the Bulls’ ability to convert most of their chances into points, while their defence was also very good.

In stark contrast, the Sharks were again their own worst enemies as they botched several point-scoring chances close to the tryline, conceded penalties at crucial times, and missed four out of their five kicks at goal.

The Bulls threatened from the outset and made a strong statement early on as Sebastian de Klerk (wing) scored their first try in the seventh minute following a great break by scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who passed the ball out wide, which the speedster grabbed comfortably and stepped inside to touch down, to take a 7-0 lead.

The Durbanites had a chance to reduce their deficit with a penalty goal, but Jordan Hendrikse pushed the ball wide, and it took only a few more minutes before the Bulls stretched their lead to 12-0 after Springbok wing Canan Moodie gathered a stunning cross-kick by De Klerk.

Hendrikse got his team on the scoreboard with a penalty goal shortly after, but the hosts soon found themselves under pressure as Harold Vorster was yellow-carded for cynical play.

While Hendrikse missed his second shot at the goal posts, Johan Goosen converted his attempt with minutes left in the half to go 15-3 up.

The Sharks hit back after the restart as Makazole Mapimpi dotted down, and they followed this up with their second five-pointer by Ethan Hooker eight minutes later. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert either of these tries, which saw them trail by 15-13.

Replacement Bulls flyhalf Keagan Johannes added a penalty the 56th minute, with David Kriel scoring with 14 minutes left to make it 25-13.

Bulls 25 (15) Sharks 13 (3) 

Bulls 25 (15) – Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel. Conversions: Johan Goosen, Keagan Johannes. Penalty goals: Goosen, Johannes.

Sharks 13 (3) – Tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Ethan Hooker. Penalty goal: Jordan Hendrikse.