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The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Bulls see off plucky Edinburgh to book home semi with either Sharks or Munster
Bulls 42 Edinburgh 33 THE VODACOM BULLS recovered from an early deficit to beat Edinburgh in an 11-try thriller at Loftus Versfeld Stadium and book a home URC semi-final against either the Sharks or Munster next Saturday. The Bulls twice trailed by two scores in the first half, with Wes Goosen and a Ross Thompson double — initially answered only by a close-range Cameron Hanekom try — putting Edinburgh in the ascendancy on the half-hour mark. Edinburgh's first two tries came with the Bulls down to 14, Sebastian de Klerk sin-binned for a high shot on Darcy Graham. But with Willie Le Roux instrumental and their scrum mostly dominant, the hosts fought back from 21-8 down to move within striking distance at the break. David Kriel firstly capitalised on a poor Edinburgh kick chase to dive over just after the half-hour mark, with Harold Vorster crossing in the left-hand corner soon afterwards after a wonderful chip and chase in transition by De Klerk, who was fresh out of the bin. However, the profligacy of Keagan Johannes and Kriel from the tee meant that Edinburgh's led by three, 21-18, at the end of a frenetic first half. Advertisement The Bulls, however, scored three tries in the first 11 minutes of the second period to pull away from the seemingly exhausted Scots in Pretoria. Canan Moodie's try, supplied by the imperious Le Roux and converted by Johannes, was followed quickly by a wonderful solo score by Johannes himself. The scrum-half-turned-10 added the extras once more for 32-21. A powerful Wilco Louw carry then opened a gap for Bulls skipper Ruan Nortje to dot down on 51 minutes, with Johannes having well and truly found his groove on conversion duty. In a flash, the Bulls led by 18 and Edinburgh's goose was all but cooked. The Scots found a second wind late in the third quarter, however, with Ewan Ashman crossing from close range and JF van Heerden receiving 10 minutes on the naughty step for the Bulls' repeated infringements in the build-up. On the hosts' restart, however, the otherwise excellent Magnus Bradbury dropped the ball cold, and Ross Thompson soon followed Van Heerden to the sin bin as he deliberately knocked on a Bulls pass near the line with Edinburgh's defence in shambles. The hosts took their easy three points through Johannes to extend their lead to 14, but Darcy Graham then initiated a wonderful team score by Edinburgh — eventually finished by Wes Goosen but left unconverted — to leave the scoreline at 42-33 with 17 minutes remaining. The visitors tried in vain to reduce the deficit further, the Bulls earning key turnovers on the ground to thwart glimmers of Scottish momentum and manage their way to victory. Jake White's second seeds will host either South African rivals the Sharks or Munster at Loftus next Saturday. Bulls: Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian De Klerk, Keagan Johannes, Embrose Papier, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, J F Van Heerden, Marcell Coetzee, Ruan Nortje (CAPT), Cameron Hanekom Replacements: Akker Van der Merwe, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Marco Van Staden, Zak Burger, Stedman Gans, Devon Williams Edinburgh: Wes Goosen, Darcy Graham, Matt Currie, James Lang, Harry Paterson, Ross Thompson, Ali Price, Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D'arcy Rae, Marshall Sykes, Sam Skinner, Ben Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Magnus Bradbury (CAPT) Replacements: Paddy Harrison, Boan Venter, Javan Sebastian, Liam McConnell, Ben Muncaster, Conor McAlpine, Ben Healy, Mark Bennett Referee: Adam Jones (WRU)
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?
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Déjà vu: Jake White won't say much to his Bulls players before Edinburgh game
The Bulls will know what to expect after two previous outings against Edinburgh and a semi-final against teams they have also played before. Edinburgh's Wes Goosen is tackled by Bulls utility back Keagan Johannes during their Challenge Cup quarter-final in Scotland. Picture: Mark Scates/SNS Group via Getty Images Bulls director of rugby Jake White said his team were experiencing some déjà vu in facing Edinburgh for a third time this season, while also reaching the United Rugby Championship play-offs for the fourth time in a row. He said almost all of his players have 'been here, done it before' and have improved greatly over the past few years. They will not need extensive analysis of Edinburgh or their potential semi-final opponents, pointing out areas of improvement, or motivation to give their all. But they are ready to go all the way this time. The Bulls secured their home quarter-final against Edinburgh at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 1.30pm) after finishing second on the log with 14 wins from 18 games. One of those victories came against Edinburgh at Loftus in September (final score 22–16). The Bulls almost became the first South African side to beat Edinburgh in Scotland, but they fell just short in their Challenge Cup quarter-final (final score 34–28). Head-to-head, Edinburgh have won three of the five games between the sides. Both teams have won every match played at home. Not much new to be said As White geared up for another clash against his former assistant coach at the Sharks and consultant with the Bulls, Sean Everitt, he said there was little that needed to be said. 'Edinburgh beat us a couple of weeks ago so there is not much I need to say [to the team] because I think the players understand,' White explained. 'We play Sharks or Munster [in the semi-final] and those are two teams that have beaten us this year. So there's not much I need to say in terms of getting them ready. It's a little bit of déjà vu on the basis that we've been here, done it before, but we now have the opportunity to play our best rugby in the last three weeks.' The Bulls' forward pack has dominated all opposition, putting them in the position they are in. White praised tighthead prop Wilco Louw for his standout performances in scrums and said he hoped he would win the South African URC Player of the Year award. Edinburgh's Wes Goosen says they are braced for the Bulls But many players have shone for the Bulls, not least their eighthman, Cameron Hanekom, who is also up for the award with his threatening runs, offloads, tackling and work at the breakdown. White said his players have improved since their URC final defeat against Glasgow last year, and were good enough to go all the way this time. Still, Edinburgh's South African-born winger Wes Goosen said they were up to the challenge. They just needed to continue pressing as they had in the first hour of their Challenge Cup victory, before allowing the Bulls back into the game. 'It's not going to be easy. They are a very physical team with a lot of superstars, but you look at our team – we've got good players as well,' Goosen said.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
SA-born Wes Goosen: Edinburgh can beat Bulls again
SA-born fullback Wes Goosen expects Edinburgh to 'go toe to toe' with the Vodacom Bulls in Saturday's URC quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld. Goosen was born in East London before emigrating to New Zealand with his family at the age of four. He represented Wellington and the Hurricanes before joining Edinburgh in 2022. The 29-year-old returns to South Africa for Saturday's URC quarter-final against the Vodacom Bulls and will have relatives watching in the stands. The Bulls beat Edinburgh 22-16 in the URC league stage last October, but lost the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-final against Sean Everitt's side at Hive Stadium, 34-28. Watch: Edinburgh embrace Bulls' challenge 'It gives us the confidence it can be done,' said Goosen of that play-off victory. 'For the first 60 minutes of the game in Edinburgh, we really dominated and then we let them back in. 'But if we do what we do, we push them and stay in the hard moments, I think we can go toe to toe with the Bulls. 'It's not going to be easy. They are a very physical team with a lot of superstars, but you look at our team – we've got good players as well.' Also read: We're as ready as we'll ever be – Jake The post Goosen: Edinburgh can beat Bulls again appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
