Nine try Bulls honour Cornal's memory in style

The Vodacom Bulls channelled the emotion of the week to put in a performance that would have made their fallen former teammate Cornal Hendricks proud as they scored nine tries to smash the Welsh side Dragons 55-15 in their final Vodacom United Rugby Championship league encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Bulls secured second spot on the log with the win and will have the added bonus of home ground advantage in the playoff quarterfinals and semifinals, should they get that far.

But the gulf between the two sides was so apparent, that this probably could have been settled in the changeroom before the game. The last time the men from Gwent have won a game was the opening weekend of the season, and things have only gone downhill for them since.

Still, given the shock news of Hendricks’ passing this week, the halls of Loftus have been filled with emotion, and there was always a concern that this could overflow and hurt their final outing in the league competition.

But the team channelled that, and while it was nowhere near a perfect performance, it was enough to give them a solid run before a week off and then into playoff mode.

SCRUM DOMINANCE AGAIN

Even without the likes of powerhouse props Wilco Louw and Gerhard Steenekamp, the Bulls scrum was once again the basis of their victory and gave them the platform for another solid performance.

The Bulls would have been disappointed with the three tries that the Dragons scored, especially as they dominated throughout, but this was very much a game where boxes needed to be ticked and momentum built before the knockouts begin.

There may be a slight concern as Cobus Wiese limped off early in the game, but the hope is that this was more precautionary than a real concern.

For those who aren’t regulars, scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde put in a second-half cameo that would have underlined how lucky Bath are to have him next season, and raise an eyebrow at how little game time he has had at the Bulls.

NAMA XABA STOOD OUT

Still, the same could be said of Nama Xaba, who was everywhere on the field and certainly earned his day's pay for his effort.

Sergeal Petersen was another who put in a big performance, as was Mornay Smith, who will stay at the Bulls after overseas clubs came looking for him in the last few weeks.

But this was always a day that was going to honour Hendricks, and the Bulls knew they had to put in a performance that was worthy of the winger from the start.

It was apparent they would when Cameron Hanekom was forced over the touchline chasing Willie le Roux’s grubber in the third minute, and when the Bulls broke the deadline with a lovely move that saw Petersen beat one tackle, get the ball out to Sebastian de Klerk on the wing, who sent it inside for David Kriel to score.

Wiese doubled the scoreline three minutes later as he burst off the back of a maul to beat one cover tackle and barged over the line for a try he will crow about for a long time.

The Bulls scored their third in the 17th minute when sustained pressure allowed an easy run in for De Klerk on the wing but had to wait until the 40th minute before Akker van der Merwe secured the bonus point try - and second spot on the log with that point - by rumbling over the line at the back of a rolling maul.

DOUBLE DRAGON TRIES GAVE THEM HOPE

But then the Dragons woke up and two quick tries gave them hope. The first came from a tap five metre penalty, with a switch play that saw winger Huw Anderson in space to score in the corner and then Rhodri Williams saw no defence around the ruck and broke through, chipping over Willie le Roux to collect and score.

Van der Merwe added to his tally with a similar move, this time breaking off the back of the maul to dive over and restore the Bulls’ dominance.

From there Van der Linde had a hand in the next three tries, first breaking from a dominant scrum to put Petersen around in the corner, then beating a defender after the Bulls pounded the Dragons’ line to sling a long pass to Petersen again to score his second.

Van der Linde’s third hand in a try was when he spotted space around the ruck and darted ahead, with some slick interplay allowing Marcell Coetzee to do a massive dive over the line for his try to bring up the half century.

Devon Williams added his name to the scoresheet five minutes later but it was Dragons who had the last word with a rolling maul try that gave Lewis Morgan - a club player flown in to bolster the side after injuries - a score with his first touch of the ball.

The Bulls will now enjoy a week off and wait to find out their opposition, but will be happy that they ended an emotional week on a high as a mark of respect for Hendricks’ memory.

SCORERS

VODACOM BULLS - tries: David Kriel, Cobus Wiese, Sebastian de Klerk, Akker van der Merwe (2), Sergeal Petersen (2), Marcell Coetzee, Devon Williams. Conversions: Keagan Johannes (5)

DRAGONS - tries: Huw Anderson, Rhodri Williams, Lewis Morgan