The Suzuki Griquas delivered a dominant, physical performance to outmuscle the Vodacom Bulls XV, securing a comprehensive 56-26 bonus-point victory at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley. Both sides entered the clash desperately hunting their first win of the Carling Currie Cup campaign after suffering disappointing opening-round defeats last weekend.
The Vodacom Bulls XV started like a house on fire. Following excellent build-up play by their forward pack, PA van Niekerk crashed over early to establish an initial 05-00 lead.
However, the Griquas hit back almost immediately. Launching a high-speed counter-attack from inside their own half, Zane Bester sliced through the defence before unleashing Bobby Alexander, who flew down the wing to claim the hosts' opening try. George Whitehead added the extra two points to edge the Griquas into a 07-05 lead after 11 minutes of play.
Just two minutes later, Hufke turned playmaker, executing a perfectly weighted grubber kick. Gurswin Wehr showed blistering pace to outsprint the Bulls' cover defence and dot down. Whitehead converted once again, extending the advantage to 14-05.
The Bulls hit back shortly after when Hakeem Kunene safely gathered a well-placed attacking kick from Brooklyn Newman to cross the whitewash for the Pretoria outfit's second try. Keagan Johannes slotted the conversion to narrow the deficit to 14-12.
An aimless tactical kick by Johannes soon gifted the dangerous Griquas backline open space. The home side launched a lethal counter-attack that finished with Alexander crossing out wide for his second try of the afternoon. Whitehead maintained his perfect record from the tee to push the scoreline to 21-12 after 25 minutes.
The hosts completely dominated the final ten minutes of the first half, pinning the visitors back through a destructive scrumming and mauling display. With just four minutes left on the first-half clock, prop Ig Prinsloo reaped the rewards of that relentless forward pressure to rumble over for a vital bonus-point try. Whitehead’s conversion stretched the lead to 28-12.
With time up on the clock before the break, the Bulls refused to lie down, launching wave after wave of desperate attacks. The patience paid off when Devon Williams showed slick footwork to step his way through the defensive line for the Bulls' third try. Johannes added the conversion, leaving the score at 28-19 in favour of the Griquas at halftime.
The Bulls absorbed immense pressure early in the second half but were eventually undone when the Griquas opted for a quick tap penalty five metres out from the tryline. Lourens Oosthuizen powered through the remaining defenders to score the hosts' fifth try, with Whitehead adding the conversion.
Ten minutes into the second half, Wehr again showcased his devastating acceleration to pull the Bulls' defence apart before unselfishly offloading to Alexander, allowing the scrumhalf to complete a brilliant hat-trick. Whitehead's successful conversion pushed the score out to 42-19.
A physical, error-ridden 15-minute period followed as fatigue began to set in for both squads.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Riyaad Bam produced a moment of individual magic, blending skill and raw speed to evade multiple defenders and score a crucial four-try bonus point for the Bulls. Johannes added the extras to cut the gap to 42-26.
Any hopes of a late Pretoria comeback were swiftly extinguished by Wehr. The dangerous winger anticipated play beautifully to score two intercept tries during the final ten minutes of the game. Whitehead locked down the final conversions to cap off a commanding performance, sealing a well-deserved 56-26 victory for the defending champions.
Scorers
Suzuki Griquas: Tries: Bobby Alexander (3), Gurswin Wehr (3), Ig Prinsloo, Lourens Oosthuizen. Conversions: George Whitehead (8).
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: PA van Niekerk, Hakeem Kunene, Devon Williams, Riyaad Bam. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (3).
Teams:
Suzuki Griquas: 15 Cameron Hufke, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bestee, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Gurswin Wehr, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (captain), 4 Lungisi Mbiko, 3 IG Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons. Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Carel van der Merwe, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Caleb Abrahams, 22 Sako Makata, 23 Connor Mahoney
Vodacom Bulls XV: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Hakeem Kunene, 13 Demitre Erasmus, 12 PA van Niekerk, 11 Riyaad Bam, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Brooklyn Newman, 8 JJ Theron, 7 Cephas van Biljon, 6 Nama Xaba (c), 5 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Dian Coeztee, 2 Shaun Schürmann, 1 Dylan Smith. Replacements: 16 Jaundre Schoeman, 17 Damian Baker, 18 Mawande Mdanda, 19 Abongile Nonkontwana, 20 Thomas Beling, 21 Neil Le Roux, 22 Viaan Mentoor, 23 JJ Motlhodi.