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Bulls muscle past Ospreys in high-scoring URC opener

football27 September 2025 15:00
By:Johan Coetzee
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The Johan Ackermann era at Loftus Versfeld began with a bang as the Bulls powered their way to a 53–40 bonus-point win over Ospreys in a 15-try thriller to open their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign on Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 26–19 at halftime, the hosts turned the tide with a dominant second-half display built on forward muscle and improved discipline.

Hooker Johan Grobbelaar led the charge with a hat-trick, while captain Marcell Coetzee and 19-year-old wing Cheswill Jooste each bagged a brace to help the Bulls outscore the visitors nine tries to six.

Ospreys stunned the Loftus crowd with two early tries inside five minutes, as Keelan Giles and Kieran Williams crossed to give the Welsh side a 12–0 lead. The Bulls responded through Coetzee, who crashed over twice in quick succession to level the scores at 12–12.

A yellow card to Bulls fullback Devon Williams for a deliberate knockdown handed Ospreys the momentum, and they capitalised with tries from Jack Walsh and a second for Williams, stretching their lead to 26–12. Grobbelaar’s first try just before the break gave the Bulls a lifeline heading into halftime.

The second half belonged to the hosts. Grobbelaar dotted down twice more off rolling mauls, Jooste ran a perfect line to score his first, and Jan Serfontein finished off a slick offload from Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg to put daylight between the teams.

Ospreys briefly rallied through Morgan Morse, but Juann Else powered over to restore the Bulls’ cushion. Willie le Roux then made an immediate impact off the bench, sending a long pass to Jooste for his second try. Giles had the final say with a late consolation score, but the damage was done.

While the Bulls were frustrated by some of referee Federico Vedovelli’s decisions, their scrum dominance and second-half control proved decisive. Ackermann’s men will be pleased with the attacking intent and depth shown across the park, especially from their young stars.

SCORERS: 

Vodacom Bulls: Tries – Marcell Coetzee (2), Johan Grobbelaar (3), Cheswill Jooste (2), Jan Serfontein, Juann Else. Conversions – Keagan Johannes (4).

Ospreys: Tries – Keelan Giles (2), Kieran Williams (2), Jack Walsh, Morgan Morse. Conversions – Dan Edwards (5).

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