Bulls run in eight tries to beat Scarlets 54-26
The Bulls beat Scarlets 54-26 in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, scoring eight tries in Pretoria. The United Rugby Championship is the professional club competition for teams from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and South Africa.
The match was close for a long spell. The Bulls led 19-12 at half-time, but the South African side pulled clear after the break. BBC Sport reported that the two teams scored 12 tries between them.
Six players crossed for the Bulls: Jeandre Rudolph, Willie le Roux, Dylan Maart, Marcel Coetzee, Sebastian de Klerk and Johan Grobbelaar. Maart and Coetzee scored twice each. Curwin Bosch added seven conversions, the two-point kicks taken after a try.
Scarlets had four tries to show for their afternoon. John McKee, Sam Lousi, Archie Hughes and Joe Roberts crossed the line, and Cameron Leggatt-Jones kicked three conversions.
The Bulls named eight Springboks, South Africa's national team players, in their matchday 23. That is the group of 23 players available on the bench and in the starting line-up for a given match. Their depth showed in the second half, when fresh players kept the pressure on.
Scarlets still came away with something. The club said they had claimed a bonus point, the extra league point the competition awards to any team that scores four or more tries, even in defeat. Scarlets described the performance as gutsy. For a side that conceded eight tries, that bonus point will count in the standings when the table is updated.
The next fixtures are already set. The Bulls travel to face the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday 5 December, with a 12:30 kick-off. Scarlets host Connacht at Parc y Scarlets on the same day, at 17:15.
