Latest news with #RossThompson
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Bulls power through to semi-finals after Edinburgh threaten to rip up play-off script in Pretoria
Pretoria Bulls 42 Edinburgh 33 RETURNING home to South Africa, Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt enjoyed some dinner on Friday night with his Bulls counterpart Jake White. The pair are close friends and fired up the grill for a Braai, a traditional South African barbecue, at White's house just hours before this quarter-final clash in the United Rugby Championship. But it was Everitt and his Edinburgh players whose goose was cooked in Pretoria as the Bulls feasted on six tries to claim their place in the semi-finals. This was not the hammering that many feared it might be for Edinburgh. On the contrary, this was very much a case of what might have been. Everitt's side led 21-8 after half an hour thanks to two tries from Ross Thompson and one from Wes Goosen. They were in the process of ripping up the script. But the surroundings at Loftus Versfeld can do strange things to visiting teams. Perhaps it was the altitude of the Highveld and the thought of scaling such heights on the field, Edinburgh suffered a collective nose bleed. They collapsed midway through the game, conceding all six tries in the space of little more than half an hour, and three in little more than 10 minutes after half-time, before finding a second wind again near the end. There was a lot to like about their performance, a lot to be proud of away from home in such a testing arena, but the reality is that their season is now over. Knockout rugby offers no second chances and no pats on the back. Having been in such a commanding position after half an hour, the reality is that Edinburgh threw this one away. 'We started the game really well,' said Everitt. 'We looked really dangerous, caused the Bulls a lot of problems, and got ourselves into a lead. 'But then there was a 12-minute blitz from the Bulls where they scored three tries early in the second half to take the game away from us a little bit. 'I am really proud of the guys in terms of how they still fought back towards the end. It's been a long, tough season but we still kept going right until the end. We've improved a lot this year and we should be proud. 'Congratulations to the Bulls. They have got a home semi-final now to look forward to and they are a very hard team to stop when they have momentum.' Playing at such altitude on the Highveld, and with baking-hot sunshine beating down as the match kicked-off, this would be a test of Edinburgh's fitness and mental fortitude as much as anything. The Bulls had finished the regular season in excellent form, with six straight victories ensuring they came into the play-offs as one of the form sides in the competition. But it was Edinburgh who made the perfect start and took the lead on five minutes, just seconds after Bulls winger Sebastian de Klerk had been sin-binned for a high shot on Darcy Graham. Harry Paterson played a key role in the build-up as Edinburgh worked the ball out wide, with Hamish Watson eventually delivering the final pass for Goosen to score in the corner. The sense of shock among the home crowd when a rampant Edinburgh scored a second try on 13 minutes to race further clear. It was a brilliant finish from Thompson, with the fly-half waltzing through a gap and showing great footwork before touching down. The Bulls made a dent on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty from fly-half Keagan Johannes, before they finally clicked into gear and scored their first try on 19 minutes. It was their talismanic No 8 Cameron Hanekom who powered over from close range. Having made his international debut last year, it wasn't hard to see why 23-year-old Hanekom is viewed as the next big thing in the Springboks' back row. Credit to Edinburgh for the way in which they kept asking questions of the Bulls. Their enterprising approach was rewarded with a third try on 29 minutes. After James Lang made a good line-break, the ball was fed to Thompson and he darted over for his second try of the afternoon. Leading 21-8 after half an hour, Edinburgh were threatening a huge shock. But the Bulls came roaring back with two tries in the space of half an hour just before half-time. Veteran full-back Willie Le Roux broke through a gap and fed the prolific centre David Kriel to score, before his midfield partner Harold Vorster went over in the corner. From Edinburgh's point of view, the defending was poor. Ali Price, in particular, should have done far better to make a tackle and get Vorster into touch as he neared the try-line. But the Bulls were profligate with their kicking and another missed conversion ensured that Edinburgh still led 21-18 as the teams went in at half-time. But it was clear that the home side now had the bit between their teeth. Perhaps starting to smell blood, the Bulls took the lead just two minutes after the break when Springbok winger Canan Moodie scored after a lovely offload from Le Roux. Edinburgh were starting to wilt in the searing heat and energy-sapping altitude, with the Bulls making it a quickfire double when Johannes broke through a gap and raced away to score his team's fifth try of the day. Trailing 32-21, Edinburgh knew they really needed to find the next score if they were to claw their way back into the game. But the Bulls put the matter beyond doubt when skipper Ruan Nortje powered over from close range on 53 minutes after a period of sustained pressure. Edinburgh finally got going again when the ball was recycled quickly from a ruck and hooker Ewan Ashman crashed over on 59 minutes, with the Bulls down to 14 men again as lock JF van Heerden was yellow-carded. But Edinburgh's momentum was halted immediately when Magnus Bradbury fumbled the restart and gifted possession back to the home side, with Thompson then sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on shortly after. Another penalty from Johannes stretched the Bulls' lead to 42-28, before Edinburgh replied again when Goosen touched down in the corner after a flowing team move from the visitors. With Thompson off the pitch, it was Mark Bennett who took aim with the conversion but the ball sailed wide of the posts. A chaotic game rather fizzled out in the final 10 minutes, with the Bulls seeing it through for the victory. Having been chewed up and spat out, Edinburgh were left to ponder a missed opportunity.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Edinburgh fall short in South Africa as Bulls progress to URC semi-final
URC: Bulls 42 Edinburgh 33 The Bulls claimed a 42-33 victory over Edinburgh in an exhilarating United Rugby Championship quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld. Wes Goosen opened the scoring after five minutes before Ross Thompson's double came either side of Cameron Hanekom's try for the South Africans. Tries from David Kriel in the 32nd minute and Harold Vorster four minutes later ensured the Bulls went into the break only 21-18 behind. The Bulls stepped it up early in the second half as Canan Moodie showed a great turn of pace to crash over as Edinburgh's defence had lost control. Keagan Johannes and Ruan Nortje went over to make it 39-21 and although Edinburgh responded with efforts from Ewan Ashman and Goosen, the game was up.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Edinburgh score first try against Bulls
Update: Date: 4 mins Title: Converted try Bulls 0-7 EDINBURGH Content: Wes Goosen The man with family from Pretoria scores in the corner! What a homecoming! Expansive rugby from Edinburgh, with Harry Paterson shining. They go right to left, and execute with accuracy. Speaking off, Ross Thompson bisects the posts with an inch-perfect kick from the touchline. What a start! Update: Date: 3 mins Title: Sin-bin Sebastian de Klerk (Bulls) Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh It's a yellow card, according to referee Adam Jones. De Klerk is trying to charge Graham down, but his shoulder catches Darcy Graham flush on the chin. The crowd aren't happy, but it looks more clumsy than aggressive. Either way, it's contact to the head. Update: Date: 3 mins Title: Post Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh A contentious early moment. Darcy Graham takes a shoulder to the chops as he kicks ahead. The Bulls field the ball, and aim at Edinburgh's right wing - where Graham is still strewn on the floor. Adam Jones chooses not to stop the play, but the ball eventually leaves the field organically. They're now having a look at this. Update: Date: 2 mins Title: Last time out at the Hive... Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh It's not been too long since these two sides last met and Edinburgh sprung a surprise in the Challenge Cup quarters. Sean Everitt's side held off a second-half fightback to secure a home semi-final, after two tries from James Lang and a Magnus Bradbury score put the hosts 24-7 up at the break. Grant Gilchrist's try gave Edinburgh breathing space on the scoreboard before the Bulls came back strongly with a penalty try, one from Cameron Hanekom and a second from Kriel to set up a grandstand finish, but the hosts held on. The aggregate score between these sides so far this season? 50-50. Update: Date: 0 mins Title: Kick-off / First-half Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh Adam Jones is the referee, resplendent in his purple and fluorescent green kit. Keaghan Johannes, the stand-in stand-off due to the absence of Johan Goosen, kicks us off. Update: Date: 12:29 BST Title: Statue awaiting if Everitt can scale URC mountain Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Tom EnglishBBC Scotland's chief sports writer on Sportsound Jamie asked: What is success for Edinburgh in the play-offs? Is it crazy to think Edinburgh have a better chance at the title than Glasgow? Tom answered: I wouldn't say Edinburgh have a better chance. They have a really hard assignment away to Bulls on Saturday and if they win that then, on seeding, they'll be playing Sharks away in the semi-final and, again on seeding, Leinster away in the final. That's a brutal run. If they win the URC then forget the chat about Sean Everitt keeping his job, the only thing up for debate at that point will be where to put his statue. Update: Date: 12:27 BST Title: What happened last night? Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Glasgow Warriors continued their defence of the URC title last night by putting the Stormers to the sword, thereby booking their place in the last four. Rory Darge, Kyle Rowe and Henco Venter crossed for first-half tries for the hosts, with a Seabelo Senatla try and eight points from the boot of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeping the Stormers within six points at the break. Senatla struck early in the second half for the South African side, but Glasgow responded with tries from George Horne and another from Rowe to ease home with a bit to spare. Warriors will face either Leinster or Scarlets, who meet in Dublin on Saturday, in next weekend's semi-final. Rory Darge dazzled after his Lions' disappointment Update: Date: 12:25 BST Title: Everitt wants Edinburgh to 'stay in the fight' Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt tells Premier Sports: "We're all excited, it's been a great week. We flew in on Wednesday and had a light couple of days. It's massive for the club, and for Scottish rugby. "It was really good [braai]. Jake did some chops and ribs, his wife made a lovely salad. We had a good evening." "We're always excited to play the Bulls. We played them five weeks ago and got the result, we'll take a lot of confidence out of that. It's a bigger challenge for us, but one we know we can win if we play well. "It's about being really good in the first 20 minutes. They've scored 29 tries here in the first 20 minutes this season. It's about staying in the fight, like Glasgow did last year." Update: Date: 12:22 BST Title: How did Edinburgh get here? Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) It's been an odd season for Edinburgh. For much of it, they flattered to deceive, struggling with the same problem that hamstrung them last year - inconsistency. It was immensely frustrating to watch, given the talent on show. Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe will be a touring Lions, while Jamie Ritchie and Darcy Graham will be high-up on the standby list. Yet, they found a bit of momentum at the end of the season to defy the odds and book a place in the play-offs thanks to a triumphant win over Ulster. Sean Everitt has been under pressure at times, but he's got his side going at the right time. Can they continue this run and do the unthinkable? Pierre Schoeman celebrates with Darcy Graham Update: Date: 12:20 BST Title: Van der Merwe out, Ritchie starts Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30 BST) Duhan van der Merwe is the big miss for Edinburgh, as Sean Everitt makes just one change to his capital side. Jamie Ritchie, who will join Perpignan this summer, starts at blindside flanker as Ben Muncaster drops to the bench from the team that beat Ulster to clinch a play-off spot. Scotland wing Van der Merwe, who has been sidelined since March with ankle ligament damage, has resumed training and is with the squad in South Africa. But Everitt said: "He's probably still a few days away from being ready to return to full match action. We're managing his return carefully to ensure he's fully prepared when he does step back onto the field." Update: Date: 12:18 BST Title: TEAM NEWS from Pretoria Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Bulls: Le Roux, Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Johannes, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Nortje (c), Hanekom. Replacements: A Van der Merwe, Matanzima, Smith, Kirsten, Van Staden, Burger, Gans, Williams. Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Paterson, Thompson, Price, Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Skinner, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury (c). Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Sebastian, McConnell, Muncaster, McAlpine, Healy, Bennett. Update: Date: 12:15 BST Title: Welcome to Loftus! Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30 BST) Edinburgh's season has come down to this. Win, and it's a place in the semi-finals. Lose, and it's all over. It's a place that we Scottish rugby fans know well, given Glasgow's heroics last year. But can Edinburgh repeat the feat and pull off a heist at altitude?
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Thompson eager to end first Edinburgh season on a high
Ross Thompson feels he has "grown" as a player in his first season with Edinburgh and is determined to help Sean Everitt's side progress in the 26-year-old stand-off has started 16 of 18 league games since his move from Glasgow last to prior to Saturday's quarter-final against Bulls in Pretoria, Thompson said: "I think there's definitely things I can get better at, but I feel like I've grown."As the team performances have got a bit better, I feel like I've been playing a little bit better."I'm really happy here, I'm really glad I made the move and I've enjoyed this season. Hopefully there's still a few games left for us."Thompson won the last of his seven Scotland caps on the 2024 summer tour of the Americas, but is fully focused on club matters for if he had hopes of earning a recall to Gregor Townsend's squad for this summer's tour of the South Pacific, the fly-half said: "I'm not too sure to be honest, I'm not giving it too much thought. I'm just looking forward to this quarter-final and the chance to go far in knockout rugby."We did it in the Challenge Cup, got to a semi-final, and it's really exciting to be a part of."
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Ego boost, altitude and why joining Edinburgh Rugby was right decision
Thompson explains how his kicking game will be affected by playing at 1350 metres Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Beating the Bulls in South Africa is all the more difficult because of the altitude but there can be advantages to playing at 1350 metres above sea level. Ross Thompson reckons it will add six or seven metres to his kicking range and the Edinburgh stand-off hopes to take full advantage in Saturday's United Rugby Championship quarter-final in Pretoria, both from hand and off the tee. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You can kick long into the 22 from deep,' said Thompson. 'If we get penalties and kick to touch, you can obviously get deeper into their 22. It is an opportunity to try and advance further down the field that way. But likewise you can't sit too flat, because they can put kicks over your head. Edinburgh's Ross Thompson has contributed 110 points in the URC this season. | SNS Group 'So it adds a little bit, but it's not too bad. It is nice - it's a bit of an ego boost, I guess, when you're kicking them a bit further.' Thompson also hopes it will help his place-kicking. He has already contributed 110 points in the URC this season, 105 of them with the boot, and will look to add to his tally of 33 conversions and 13 penalties. 'Normally I'm about 48, 49 metres [off the tee]. I reckon I'd be probably mid-50s at Loftus,' said the fly-half who sits fourth in the URC points scorers table for the season, behind Scarlets' Ioan Lloyd (124), Ospreys' Dan Edwards (120) and Sharks' Jordan Hendrikse (118). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The downside of the rarefied atmosphere at Loftus Versfeld is, of course, the physical toll it takes. The Edinburgh squad will arrive in South Africa on Wednesday and their bodies will have little time to adjust to the thin air. Ross Thompson feels moving to Edinburgh was the correct decision. | SNS Group No such problems for the Bulls who are accustomed to it and like to let the opposition know. There's a famous sign in the stadium which proclaims: 'Altitude. 1350m. It matters.' It's all about getting in the heads of the opposition but it backfired last season when Glasgow Warriors defeated the hosts in the URC final at Loftus Versfeld and Warriors prop Jamie Bhatti celebrated by posting a picture of himself laughing at the sign while clutching his winners' medal. Thompson, 25, was part of Glasgow's URC-winning squad and although he wasn't in the match-day 23 for the final he was in the stadium and has enough experience of playing there to know the pitfalls. 'I think it's the combination of the altitude and the heat that makes it tough,' he said. 'We're going to need all 23 players. The bench will play a massive part. You can play smart and conserve energy in certain areas of the game. Some of the forwards are going to have to go for 80 minutes, so we have to conserve their energy at times smartly through some of our kicking game, and then when we get the chance, we've got to take it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Agony for Glasgow Warriors' Ross Thompson, Stafford McDowall and Jamie Bhatti as they watch on nervously during the final minutes of the United Rugby Championship final against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. Glasgow held on to win 21-16. | SNS Group Thompson moved to Edinburgh last summer and the switch to his home-town club has been good for the player who found himself behind Tom Jordan in the pecking order at Glasgow. By contrast, he has established himself as the first-choice 10 at Edinburgh, playing in all 18 of their URC games and starting 16 of them. 'It was definitely the right decision and I'm really happy with the way it's all worked out,' he said. 'I wouldn't say it was necessarily a difficult decision from a rugby perspective, but the easy decision would have been to stay at Glasgow, a club that you know. 'But yeah, I'm really happy with how it's all worked out. I couldn't be happier - this last year has gone really well for me personally.' In this the fourth year of the URC, the idea of playing in South Africa is no longer a novelty. The long haul flights and adjusting to the heat and altitude remain formidable obstacles but there is a familiarity to it, particularly for Thompson who had two trips there in quick succession with Glasgow at the end of last season then returned there with Edinburgh at the start of this one. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I guess now it's become normal,' he said. 'At the beginning of the season when we went to South Africa, I'd spent five weeks in the last six months in the same hotel. So I was used to going to South Africa.
