LIVING ON A PRAYER: Gritty Bulls rally to break losing streak

The streak has been broken! The Vodacom Bulls produced a gritty performance of pure desperation to rally from 12 points down to beat French side PAU 26-24 on Friday night and end their seven match losing streak in the process.

The win gives them one foot in the Investec Champions Cup playoffs, although they are destined to get a low seeding and face a tough away Round of 16 match against one of the competition’s big guns in the process.

But that won’t matter much to the Pretoria side, who have endured seven weeks of frustration amid their losses. With every week the desperation and frustration has grown, and the lack of grit in the defensive system has been exploited.

Coach Johan Ackermann made 11 changes to the side that was blown away by Bristol Bears last weekend, and importantly gave the side a strong bench.

And on the wet and dismal Friday night at the foot of the Pyrenees, the Bulls finally showed the guts they needed all season.

BUILT ON GRIT

To say this win was built on grit is an understatement. After weeks of the defence looking like turnstiles there were no leaks on this Friday night.

In the end the Bulls had to defend relentlessly in their own half for the last six minutes of the game. It may have been over 20 phases, it may have been more. But each time PAU found a metre forward, they were swamped. Each time they tried to get enough momentum they were stopped.

Where most sides would have conceded a penalty, the Bulls held resolute and they held their ground. The discipline in those last minutes was superb. And while PAU had their flyhalf sitting in the pocket waiting for the drop goal attempt to win the game, it never came.

Instead the Bulls’ player of the season, journeyman Jeandre Rudolph who made a telling impact off the bench, went over the ball and won the turnover.

It was celebrated with whoops and cheers, and the Bulls looked as if they had won the competition, such was the relief in the squad.

The Bulls now sit on seven points from their pool games, PAU on six and Scarlets - who have to pull off a big win over last season’s finalists Northampton on Saturday if they are to claim the only remaining qualifying spot at the expense of the Pretoria side - are on two points.

Johan Ackermann's men give themselves a shot at progression after beating Pau away 👏👏#SSRugby | #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/jauCT3C4rj — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 16, 2026

NEVER SAY DIE PERFORMANCE

Those equations will be worked out on Saturday but for now there is time to reflect on a second half performance that never said die. PAU had taken control of the game by the halftime whistle and led 21-12. They put over a penalty in the second half to stretch that lead to 12 points.

It seemed hopeless, and the Bulls seemed lost. They were doing the right things, but weren’t getting reward. Their errors had been costly and their discipline poor - costing Rynhardt Ludwig a first half yellow card.

It really seemed as if they were heading for defeat No 8.

But then something changed. It came in the form of a moment of magic from the Bulls backline. A turnover ball, booted backwards by Kurt-Lee Arendse to Willie le Roux under pressure. Le Roux let Sebastian de Klerk - one of the standouts in his new role at 13 - get some space and the speedster never disappointed.

JOOSTE BRILLIANCE

He broke the first tackle and almost the second while surging 20 metres downfield. He was scragged by his jersey but managed to get the ball away to hotstepper Cheswill Jooster. The SA under-20 star is still only 19, but he knows his way to a tryline.

Taking the ball at pace, he chipped over the defence and used his speed to round the last defender, taking the ball a metre ahead of the chasing players to score a beauty of a try.

It was a moment against the run of play and a moment where the entire outlook on the game changed for the Bulls. Suddenly they had belief and they had momentum.

And they started making inroads into the PAU defence. Punching up through the middle, the waves of attack were relentless.

Eventually something had to give, and it was PAU’s defence as Nizaam Carr found a hole and Handre Pollard’s conversion put them ahead.

This all came after PAU’s rolling maul demolished the Bulls early on, scoring three tries from the lineout drive to which the Bulls had no answer.

Their own points came from a ball ripped by Ruan Vermaak on attack that was sent wide to Celimpilo Gumede on the wing to run in the first try and the second came from Akker van der Merwe breaking away from a rolling maul to bulldoze his way over.

🐃 The Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby secure a bonus-point win in Pau! 🟢#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/n4CcANiElL — SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) January 16, 2026

DESPERATE DEFENCE

But when Carr’s try came, the Bulls knew if there was a moment their defence needed to be strong this was it. Their replacements - Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Rudolph and others - had the energy, and in their minds there was never a doubt.

PAU never seemed to have that killer punch and the Bulls simply waited for their moment. After seven weeks of passive defence and coach-killer missed tackles, there wasn’t one to be found in the south west of France.

The crowd hissed and booed with every phase, almost willing on a penalty that never came.

What did arrive was the celebrations, relief and joy all mixed into one.

And the knowledge that the losing streak is a thing of the past. And now they can build from a gritty win going forward.

Scorers

PAU - tries: Jori Delhommel (2), Jimi Maximim. Conversions: Clement Mondinat, Thomas Souverbie (2). Penalty: Souverbie.

Vodacom Bulls - tries: Celimpilo Gumede, Akker van der Merwe, Cheswill Jooste, Nizaam Carr. Conversions: Handre Pollard (3).