The Bulls endured a nightmare performance in their 50-5 Champions Cup thrashing at the hands of Northampton Saints on Sunday, leaving Johan Ackermann’s side facing an uphill battle to salvage their European campaign.
The South African outfit, who rested several key players for the trip to England, collapsed spectacularly after a competitive first half that saw them trail by just nine points at the interval.
Saints wing George Hendy spearheaded the demolition with a clinical hat-trick, whilst Ollie Sleightholme bagged a brace as the home side crossed for eight tries against woeful Bulls defence.
The visitors had shown early promise when Stravino Jacobs capitalised on a Saints mistake to race clear for their only try in the 23rd minute, responding to Sleightholme’s eighth-minute opener. Kade Wolhuter, on loan from the Lions, had earlier spurned a long-range penalty opportunity that could have given the Bulls first blood.
Hendy’s first try extended Saints’ advantage to 14-5 at half-time, but the real damage occurred after the break when Bulls prop Alulutho Tshakweni received a yellow card for attempting to trip Emmanuel Iyogun in the 54th minute. The incident sparked a heated exchange between Tshakweni and referee Hollie Davidson, but the numerical disadvantage proved catastrophic for the visitors.
Saints immediately exploited their man advantage, with Hendy grabbing his second try from a perfectly weighted grubber kick before England star Henry Pollock powered over for the bonus-point score. The floodgates had opened completely.
Alex Coles benefited from brilliant offloading by South African lock JJ van der Mescht for the fifth try, whilst Sleightholme completed his double before Hendy sealed his hat-trick in the final quarter. Flanker Josh Kemeny added the finishing touches with a try on the final whistle.
The comprehensive defeat represents the Bulls’ second consecutive Champions Cup loss following their 33-46 opening round defeat to Bordeaux-Bègles. The men from Pretoria now face a must-win encounter against Bristol Bears at home when the tournament resumes in early January. Bristol in turn ran riot against Pau on Sunday evening, outscoring their French opponents 61 -12. It is going to be a tough task for Ackermann’s men to beat a buoyant Bears team.
