URC: Bulls 53-40 Ospreys - Johann Grobbelaar hat-trick guides Bulls to comeback win

It was a frantic start in Pretoria as the Ospreys couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the season, a lovely first phase move resulted in a try for winger Keelan Giles after Phil Cokanasiga made the initial break. And then they got their second try just after an important turnover was made by Dewi Lake. Dan Kasende found a gap in the Bulls defence and fed Kieran Williams to get his sides second try. But the Bulls hit back immediately through their captain Marcell Coetzee who crashed over from close range.

Coetzee grabbed his second of the afternoon from a driving maul despite Harri Deaves best efforts to hold him up. Harri Deaves was in the thick of it today and it his strong run resulted in Jack Walsh going over for a try. Devon Williams was sent to the sin bin for an intentional knock on just before the try.

The Ospreys wanted to make the most of the extra man and did this by extending their lead once more as centre Williams went over for his second of the game, securing his side a bonus point inside the first half.

But the Bulls never gave up and after multiple carries in the Opsreys half, they were eventually rewarded when Grobbelaar bundled his way over the line for two tries either side of the break. The Bulls took the lead for the first time after 50 minutes when 19 year old Cheswill Jooste showed his pace to run in untouched.

James Fender was given a yellow card for multiple infringements close to the line and the Bulls made the most of it as Grobbelaar grabbed his hattrick from the maul. The Bulls soon grabbed another, the two former Montpellier players Nicolaas Janse Van Rensburg and Jan Serfontein combined beautifully, and the centre had a run in from 30 metres.

The Bulls three score lead was reduced when Morgan Morse got his first try of the season and Dan Edwards wasted no time with the drop goal conversion. But Juann Else, off the bench re-extended his sides lead. The teenager, Jooste then grabbed his second thanks to a lovely pass from Willie Le Roux as the Bulls hit 50 for the day.

The Ospreys would have the final say of the game however as Keelan Giles who scored the games first try got his second after the 80th minute.

TRIES: 9 (Coetzee 8’, 21’, Grobbelaar 39’, 44’, 58’, Jooste 51’, 71’, Serfontein 61’, Else 68’)

CONVERSIONS: 4 (Johannes 8’, 40’, 59’, 69’)

PENALTIES:

DROP GOALS:

YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Williams 29’)

RED CARDS: 0

15. Devon Williams, 14. Cheswill Jooste, 13. David Kriel, 12. Jan Serfontein, 11. Sebastian de Klerk, 10. Keagan Johannes, 9. Embrose Papier, 1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 3. Mornay Smith, 4. Cobus Wiese, 5. JF Van Heerden, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Mpilo Gumede, 8. JJ Theron.

16. Juann Else, 17. Alulutho Tshakweni, 18. Francois Klopper, 19. Nicolaas Janse Van Rensburg, 20. Name Xaba, 21. Paul De Wet, 22. Stedman Gans, 23. Willie Le Roux.

TRIES: 6 (Giles 2’, 80’, Williams 6’, 35’, Walsh 30’, Morse 66’)

CONVERSIONS: 5 (Edwards 6’, 30’, 35’, 66’, 80’)

PENALTIES:

DROP GOALS:

YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Fender 58’)

RED CARDS: 0

15. Jack Walsh, 14. Dan Kasende, 13. Phil Cokanasiga, 12. Kieran Williams, 11. Keelan Giles, 10. Dan Edwards, 9. Reuben Morgan-Williams, 1. Garyn Phillips, 2. Dewi Lake, 3. Tom Botha, 4. Rhys Davies, 5. James Fender, 6. Ross Moriarty, 7. Harri Deaves, 8. Morgan Morse.

16. Ethan Lewis, 17. Steffan Thomas, 18. Rhys Henry, 19. Huw Sutton, 20. James Ratti, 21. Luke Davies, 22. Tom Florence, 23. Harri Houston.

1. Garyn Phillips: 5.5/10 - Struggled at scrum time against Mornay Smith

2. Dewi Lake: 6.5/10 - Potentially fortunate not to be carded in the first half for a shot on Wiese, referee deemed that Morse’s initial tackle affected the outcome.

3. Tom Botha: 6/10 – Part of the front row that struggled at scrum time. Did his job around the park.

4. Rhys Davies: 5/10 – No real impact on the game.

5. James Fender: 6/10 - A yellow card that proved to be costly

6. Ross Moriarty: 6/10 Little impact on his first appearance since signing from Brive

7. Harri Deaves: 6/10 - Another big shift. Perfect example of the modern day forward. Showed his pace and kicking ability. Gave away a few silly penalties.

8. Morgan Morse: 6.5/10 - The talented number 8 once again showed why he’s rated highly in the region despite being on the losing side. Got a try too.

9. Reuben Morgan-Williams: 6/10 A decent performance, without a standout moment. Slipped a few times attempting to box kick.

10. Dan Edwards: 6/10 Had a good first half showing but struggled in the second half as the Bulls began taking control.

11. Keelan Giles: 7.5/10 Carried his recent form over the last few seasons by getting a try inside the opening two minutes and finished the game with a try.

12. Kieran Williams: 7.5/10 Played an excellent first half in Pretoria bagging himself two tries. Carried with hunger.

13. Phil Cokanasiga: 7/10 – Looked solid with the ball, played a big role in setting up the first try.

14. Dan Kasende: 7/10 A really impressive performance from the winger. Very sharp with the ball in hand. Played a key role in setting up a try. Solid defensive display too.

15. Jack Walsh: 6/10 Had a quiet game aside from his try in the first half.

16. Ethan Lewis: 5/10, 17. Steffan Thomas: 6/10, 18. Rhys Henry: 6/10, 19. Huw Sutton: 6.5/10, 20. James Ratti: 6.5/10, 21. Luke Davies: 6/10, 22. Tom Florence: 6/10 23. Harri Houston: N/A