The Bulls delivered a comprehensive 59-19 demolition of Griquas in the penultimate match of day four at the FNB Craven Week, their dangerous outside backs cutting the Northern Cape side to ribbons in a display of attacking brilliance. Drewyn Baron was the chief executioner, his pace and vision proving impossible to contain as the Bulls raced to a commanding 40-0 halftime advantage before cruising home.
Although Griquas showed considerably more resilience in the second stanza, mounting a spirited fightback that at least restored some pride, the damage had been done in a first-half blitz that showcased the Bulls’ devastating attacking arsenal. When the final whistle sounded at 59-19, the scoreline told the story of a side operating on a different level.
Lightning start sets the tone
The Bulls wasted absolutely no time establishing their superiority, racing to a 14-0 lead within the opening nine minutes. Griquas were on the back foot from the opening whistle, and they would spend much of the afternoon scrambling backwards.
The 22nd minute saw Griquas receive a yellow card, and the Bulls capitalised immediately. By the 26th minute, Baron had orchestrated a perfect counter-attack, feeding team-mate Waylin Papier who crossed to make it 22-0. Two minutes later, the Bulls ran in another to extend their advantage to 26-0, the floodgates well and truly open.
Baron’s brilliance destroys resistance
The 30th minute produced a moment of pure audacity from Baron. Running another devastating counter-attack, he threw a hail mary pass that Garrith Warrie plucked from the air to score. At 33-0, the Bulls were running riot, their backs finding gaps at will.
Joshua Gouws ran a perfect support line in the 32nd minute to dot down under the posts, pushing the score to 40-0 at halftime. It was a first-half masterclass in attacking rugby, the Bulls’ pace and precision proving utterly irresistible.
Griquas fight back valiantly
Credit to Griquas, they emerged from the sheds with renewed determination. In the 40th minute, they grabbed one back from a good kick and chase, finally troubling the scoreboard operators at 40-5.
The 44th minute saw the Bulls maul Griquas into submission to score and extend the lead to 45-5, but the Northern Cape side refused to buckle. Four minutes later, JG van Heerden produced a perfectly weighted grubber that Jay-dee Isaacs latched onto for a well-worked try at 45-12.
The 50th minute raised hopes of an unlikely comeback. Franklin Stevens made a brilliant line break, running 50 metres to score and narrow the gap to 45-19. With twenty minutes remaining, was a comeback possible?
Bulls quash resistance
The answer came swiftly. In the 58th minute, Ruan Fluks played Dylan Stumpke into space, and from close quarters he proved unstoppable, extending the Bulls’ lead to 52-19. The Bulls received a yellow card in the 67th minute, but even with fourteen men they had the final word.
Lock Martin van Niekerk powered over in the 70th minute for the final try, confirming a 59-19 victory that was as comprehensive as the scoreline suggests.
Griquas showed fighting spirit in the second half, but the Bulls’ dangerous backs, particularly Baron, had already carved them to ribbons.
