Bulls coach Johan Ackermann lauded the character his team showed in coming back from a difficult start to make their latest European tour a success.
The Pretoria union rallied from a 25-21 defeat to Glasgow Warriors in their Champions Cup last-16 match in Scotland to thrash the Dragons 47-7 in Newport before claiming their first away win against Scarlets, in the United Rugby Championship.
They beat the Welsh side 23-21 despite receiving two yellow cards.
The win, inspired by a strong set-piece and flyhalf Handré Pollard’s composure in front of posts, lifted the Bulls up one spot to seventh on the URC table with just two matches left before play-offs.
They enjoy a week’s break before playing bottom-ranked Zebre and 13th-placed Benetton at home.
Tough tour
During the match, the Bulls, bolstered by the return of Springbok tighthead prop Wilco Louw, completely outmuscled the Scarlets come scrum time.
This yielded two penalties near the end that led to points.
The last let the Bulls kick for a lineout, and the referee then awarded another penalty in the 77th minute. Pollard, cool as ever, booted the ball between the posts to retake the lead and secure the win.
It capped a fine outing for the Springbok No 10. He scored a try and nailed all five of his kicks at goal, contributing 18 of his team’s points.
In contrast, his opposite number, Joe Hawkins, missed three conversions.
“The boys showed a lot of character,” the Bulls coach said. “It was a tough four-week tour to be away from the wives and children, especially for players who were just married or had newborn children.
“Although we addressed it, it was still a mental challenge to know you are still two days away from seeing your family. I think you could have seen it in our performance: we were accurate but not that accurate.”
Bulls still have much to do
Ackermann said the main thing was that they were still in the hunt for a play-off spot. However, the contest is fierce, with just nine points separating the top side and eighth.
“We had the disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions Cup. But the guys bounced back… against teams that can beat any team on the day.
“But the job is not done. Playing in front of our supporters at Loftus is a big advantage, but it will not do the job for you.
“We haven’t achieved anything yet so we are well aware there is still a lot of work to be done.”
