In what can only be described as an absolute try-fest, the Bears emerged victorious over the Bulls with a final score of 49-61.
The Bulls tried as hard as any team in the history of the game to get back to winning ways, but it was not meant to be for Johan Ackermann’s side. Neutral spectators were treated to one of the most thrilling rugby encounters of the season with a total of 17 tries served up in Pretoria. The visitors’ ruthless efficiency in the opening exchanges set the tone for a match that delivered spectacular tries, defensive lapses, and a gutsy fightback that ultimately fell short.
The Bulls could not have imagined a worse start to their home fixture. Within the opening ten minutes, the Bears had already carved out a commanding 21-0 lead, scoring three tries that left the home crowd stunned. The first came almost immediately after kickoff, with the Bears carving a path straight down the middle before slotting the conversion. Before the hosts could regroup, the Bears struck again from a lineout, mauling over the line. The third try truly highlighted the defensive frailties, as Heward intercepted a Bulls pass and shrugged off his marker to sprint clear, all before the ten-minute mark.
The Bulls refused to capitulate. Van Staden gave the home crowd hope, picking up from a ruck to fall over the line. However, a lapse in concentration immediately after the restart allowed Ravouvou to force his way under the sticks, with the Bulls defence playing a disorganised game of “Who’s man is it anyway?” as the winger appeared from nowhere into open space.
Both teams’ wingers posed serious threats throughout, with defensive structures on both sides appearing alarmingly lax. Jacobs demonstrated brilliant individual skill for the Bulls, turning nothing into something spectacular along the wing, but for every Bulls response, the Bears had an answer.
The visitors continued their assault, manufacturing space against all odds and securing tries with unpredictable offloads that rocked the Bulls’ defence repeatedly. By half-time, the score stood at 28-47.
The Bulls emerged from the interval with renewed purpose, turning a Bears clearance kick into a devastating counter-attack for the first try of the second half. Both teams adopted more patient approaches, but a crucial yellow card whilst defending on their line proved costly for the Bulls. The Bears capitalised immediately, reaching the 50-point mark.
Ravouvou provided the moment of the match, plucking a clearance kick from the air at the Bulls’ 22 as if by otherworldly powers, before dashing over to effectively seal the contest. The Bulls showed tremendous character in the final twenty minutes, pulling tries back and pushing desperately for a losing bonus point, but were held up over the line as the final whistle sounded.
In the end, the Bears had their steak cooked exactly to their liking, with the damage done in those opening ten minutes proving too great to overcome.
