Cameron Hanekom spearheads Bulls’ eight-try demolition of the Lions

For all Bulls coach Johan Ackermann’s midweek talk of a “difficult” travel week back from Ireland, his team showed little sign of sickness or fatigue as they tore the Lions apart in a 57-15 demolition at Loftus Versfeld.

The Bulls, supposedly sick and weary, hit the afterburners to run in eight tries and bury any hopes the Lions might have harboured of repeating last season’s shock victory at Loftus.

The most telling feature of the mismatch was that the Lions enjoyed more possession and territory, yet were comprehensively beaten where it mattered most: at the collision points.

There, the Bulls’ loose trio of Jeandre Rudolph, Cameron Hanekom, and captain Hanro Liebenberg delivered a brutal lesson in physicality, with Rudolph in particular reinforcing his credentials as one of the most underrated loose forwards in South African rugby.

The Lions had plenty of the ball but appeared increasingly uncertain about what to do with it. Their desperation to attack from defensive positions played straight into the Bulls’ hands, with turnovers repeatedly providing the home side with opportunities to punish them.

Both teams showed attacking intent in the opening exchanges, despite the searing early-summer heat and a 13:30 kick-off. But it was the Bulls who made the first decisive incision.

Wave after wave of pressure eventually created space for Sebastian de Klerk out wide. He powered through a tackle and released Harold Vorster, who chipped over fullback Quan Horn, gathered the ball, and scored against his former team.

Curwin Bosch missed the conversion, but the Bulls had made their intentions clear.

The Lions responded with a sustained assault on the home side’s line, forcing the Bulls to defend for seven minutes before flank Siba Qoma muscled his way over.

Chris Smith converted to give the visitors a 7-5 lead as the match reached its first water break around the 20-minute mark.

The match’s momentum shifted dramatically five minutes later when Bulls scrumhalf Paul de Wet took a quick penalty tap and broke down the blindside in combination with Bosch. The ball came back inside, allowing De Wet to race towards the line, but he was held up inches short.

As he attempted to recycle possession, Morné van den Berg slapped the ball from his hands and was shown a yellow card.

Losing their Springbok scrumhalf was a significant blow for the Lions, and the Bulls wasted little time exploiting their numerical advantage.

De Klerk broke clear again and found the supporting Hanekom, who finished for the Bulls’ next try.

Hanekom was in devastating form. He then produced one of the afternoon’s most emphatic moments, charging around the blindside of a ruck and brushing aside Richard Kriel before powering over the line.

The Bulls were dominating the breakdown, and the quality of their possession gave their dangerous runners room to operate. The Lions had no answer to the intensity of the home side’s carrying, and Rudolph added another try with a powerful finish on the stroke of half-time.

The Bulls went into the break with a commanding 26-7 lead and the derby threatening to become a rout.

The Lions needed to score first after the restart to have any realistic hope of mounting a comeback. Instead, the Bulls delivered another blow.

A turnover in their own half sparked a clinical counter-attack, with the ball moved intelligently into space before Canan Moodie supplied the finishing touch.

The Lions briefly found some renewed energy when a forward surge towards the Bulls’ line ended with replacement Morné Brandon barging over. Smith, however, missed a straightforward conversion, continuing a frustrating run with the boot after last week’s struggles against the Ospreys.

Any prospect of a revival was short-lived. The Bulls continued to attack with precision and power, stretching a Lions defence that was increasingly struggling to contain them. Lock JF van Heerden was next to cross the line as the home side kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Vorster then turned provider again, chipping over the defensive line and giving Cheswill Jooste a clear run to gather the ball and score.

By then, the Lions were thoroughly beaten, their early promise swallowed up by the Bulls’ relentless physicality and clinical finishing.

De Klerk added the final flourish on the stroke of full-time, completing a miserable afternoon for the visitors and putting an emphatic seal on a derby that had become a one-sided exhibition of Bulls power and precision.

For Ackermann, the result was a powerful response to the demands of a difficult week on the road. For the Lions, it was a sobering reminder that possession counts for little when a team is being outmuscled at the breakdown and punished every time it loses the ball.

Point-Scorers:

Bulls — Tries: Harold Vorster, Paul de Wet, Cameron Hanekom (2), Jeandre Rudolph, Canan Moodie, Cheswill Jooste, JF van Heerden, Sebastian de Klerk. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (3), Handre Pollard (3)

Lions — Tries: Siba Qoma, Morne Brandon. Conversions: Chris Smith. Penalty: Smith.