The Vodacom Bulls have proudly emerged as the lone South African team still standing in the EPCR Challenge Cup after an impressive 32-22 victory over Bayonne in France on Saturday.
Image: Nokwanda Zondi, BackpagePix
THE VODACOM Bulls have proudly emerged as the lone South African team still standing in the EPCR Challenge Cup after an impressive 32-22 victory over Bayonne in France on Saturday. Their win sees them through to the quarter-finals, where they’ll face Edinburgh in the Scottish capital this coming Saturday at 1.30PM (SA time).
While the Bulls celebrated a crucial away victory, it was heartbreak for the two other South African teams in the competition. The Hollywoodbets Sharks, last season’s champions, fell 34-21 to Lyon on Sunday, while the Emirates Lions were eliminated on Friday night after a 24-12 loss to Edinburgh.
The Pretoria-based Bulls, however, delivered a complete team performance against Bayonne, blending forward dominance with slick backline play. Despite facing a spirited French side in front of a vocal home crowd at Stade Jean-Dauger, the boys from Pretoria maintained composure throughout, thanks to their solid scrummaging and dynamic support play.
Keagan Johannes got the scoreboard ticking with a penalty in the 14th minute, followed by a well-worked try from Sergeal Petersen. Reinhardt Ludwig added to the tally before halftime, giving the Bulls a 15-8 edge going into the break.
The momentum carried into the second half, with David Kriel finishing off a sensational move initiated by Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Even a yellow card to Akker van der Merwe for a dangerous tackle did little to stop the Bulls, as Marco van Staden crashed over in the fourth quarter to keep the scoreboard ticking. Johan Goosen’s late penalty sealed the deal.
Scorers
Vodacom Bulls 32 (15) Tries: Sergeal Petersen, Reinhardt Ludwig, David Kriel, Marco van Staden. Conversions: Johannes (2), Goosen. Penalty goals: Johannes, Goosen.
Bayonne 22 (8) Tries: Federico Mori, Remy Bourdeau, Tom Spring. Conversions: Spring, Tiberghien. Penalty goal: Germain.
In contrast, the Lions struggled to recover from a poor first-half showing in Edinburgh. The Scottish side took control early on, scoring three tries – two of them within the opening 10 minutes –to take a commanding 17-0 lead into halftime.
The Lions mounted a brief second-half comeback, capitalising on a yellow card to Grant Gilchrist with a try by Francke Horn. A late try from Jaco Visagie, converted by Nico Steyn, showed fighting spirit, but it wasn’t enough as Edinburgh advanced with a 24-12 win.
The Lions will now shift their focus to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC), where they sit 14th on the log and are in need of points to stay in the play-off race.
Scorers
Edinburgh 24 (17) Tries: Wes Goosen, Ben Vellacott, Jamie Ritchie, Ali Price. Conversions: Ross Thompson (2).
Emirates Lions 12 (0) Tries: Francke Horn, Jaco Visagie. Conversion: Nico Steyn.
Defending champions the Sharks couldn’t overcome French powerhouse Lyon, who ran in five tries to eliminate the Durban-based side. The Sharks made an encouraging start, with hooker Fez Mbatha powering over in the fourth minute for a 7-0 lead. However, that early spark fizzled out quickly.
Lyon found their rhythm midway through the first half, launching a devastating 20-minute period in which they scored four unanswered tries to lead 27-7 at the break. Defensive lapses and breakdown inefficiencies proved costly for the visitors.
In the second half, despite efforts to rally, the Sharks couldn’t break down Lyon’s defence until late in the game. Corne Rahl and Tino Mavesere crossed the whitewash to give the scoreboard some respectability, but the 34-21 defeat meant an early end to their title defence.
Scorers
Lyon 34 (27) Tries: Alexandre Tchaptchet, Theo William, Yanis Charcosset, Josiah Maraku, Vincent Rattez. Conversions: Leo Berdu (3). Penalty Goal: Berdu.
Hollywoodbets Sharks 21 (7) Tries: Fez Mbatha, Corne Rahl, Tino Mavesere. Conversions: Siya Masuku (2), Jean Smith.
As the EPCR Challenge Cup heads into the business end, all eyes will now be on the Bulls, who carry the nation’s hopes into their quarter-final clash in Edinburgh. Head coach Jake White will be fully aware of the challenge ahead – a tough away fixture, followed by two critical Vodacom URC games against Munster and defending champions Glasgow Warriors.
For the Lions and Sharks, the focus turns fully to domestic action, with plenty still to play for in the URC. But for now, it’s the Bulls who have proven they can handle the pressure on the European stage, and they’ll be looking to extend their run even further.
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