JOHANNESBURG - It was a clash of whose flesh would endure, whose legs would pump the most iron, and whose bodies would survive the onslaught, and in the end it was the physicality of the Bulls that finally outmuscled the Lions on Saturday night.
Here we look at four aspects of the Bulls’ 30-25 victory at Emirates Airline Park that stood out the most and which made the match arguably the hardest and most brutal encounter of Super Rugby Unlocked thus far.
Bulls title contenders
Due to the unique nature of the tournament this year, we will only know tangibly who the champions of the domestic competition are next year when the Currie Cup final is contested.
But right now, Jake White’s Bulls are the ones to beat.
They were under immense pressure during the first half, the Lions winning supremacy in that stanza of play, dominating at scrum time, at the breakdown and in general play.
The Bulls, however, did not capitulate but instead fought back and returned in the second half with a hostile intent that the Lions simply could not pacify, showing their BMT, as rallied by Duane Vermeulen and Marco van Staden, and willingness to go the extra mile to claim victory.
Lions going places
It is always disappointing to lose but there are so many positives the Lions can take out of last weekend’s match.
For the first half, the Joburgers matched fire with fire but were gradually ground down by an unyielding Bulls team.
It began with the small moments and eventually snowballed into the major contact areas but coach Ivan van Rooyen can be proud of his young pack’s performance, especially his front row.
Their scrum at times bullied the Bulls, but as the Pretoria side refused to submit, eventually gave in to the reversal of pressure.
Unfortunately, the Lions failed to manage the momentum shift but will learn much from the encounter.
They will remain a difficult team to beat at home, especially once they have the return of fans back at the Park – whenever that may be.
There are players to watch
Wandisile Simelane had a quieter match then his last outing against the Griquas but the Lions centre was still industrious when he got his hands on the ball.
He made 76 metres (the most in the match), beat 10 defenders, made two clean breaks and scored the try of the match when he bobbed and weaved his way through the Bulls defence to score.
As a 22-year-old, you’d expect him to only get better.
It was a less impressive performance for Morne van der Berg, who was under huge amounts of pressure, and who made a handful of mistakes but he too will be able to digest the lessons learnt and come back as a better player for it.
So too will the young loose trio of Len Massyn, Vincent Tshituka and MJ Pelser find themselves humbled but all the stronger for it in the years to come.
Sevens stars making a difference
The athleticism and pace on display from Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arense, built off the constant pressure of the Bulls pack, ultimately sealed the deal.
Stedman’s try, where he propelled himself to collect the ball and then stretched over the line to take an early second half lead was especially impressive.
Sure, it came of an uncharacteristic mistake from Elton Jantjies, but for that moment it showed what Sevens players can bring to the XVs.
Arsendse meanwhile, danced his way through the Lions defence late in the game, to score the crushing blow to the Lions ambitions, but you get the sense it was a dot down that exhibited only an iota of his talent.
@FreemanZAR