Bulls player ratings: Willie le Roux ‘grabs game by the throat’ as prop stars ‘set the tone’ for famous comeback

Following the Bulls’ 42-33 win over Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld in the URC quarter-finals, here is how we scored Jake White’s men.

Bulls player ratings v Edinburgh

15 Willie le Roux: Started off quietly, but really grabbed the game by the throat. His two assists for David Kriel and Canan Moodie and his effort in the build-up to Harold Vorster’s scores were him at his vintage best, which was pleasing to see after his slow start. 8

14 Canan Moodie: Looked a threat whenever he touched the ball, making a couple of linebreaks for good measure, and reaped the rewards of that with a clever try. Was taken off on two separate occasions for a HIA, which is a concern. 7

13 David Kriel: Understated performance but nevertheless impressive. Nabbed a nice try to set the Bulls on their way and always seemed to be busy. 6

12 Harold Vorster: His abrasive carrying was crucial in giving the Bulls some sort of foothold in the contest, and he grabbed a nice try for his efforts. 6

11 Sebastian de Klerk: His early yellow card proved incredibly costly, with Edinburgh scoring 14 points in that time. Came up with a spectacular break and assist to send Vorster over, though, and posed some real questions of the opposition defence. 5

10 Keagan Johannes: Another who grew into the game as it went on, and came into his own during the second-half. His try also seemed to be the point where the Bulls just ran away with the game. 7

9 Embrose Papier: Mixed bag for the wily number nine. The ruck was messy in fairness in the first-half, but he struggled to inject pace into the Bulls’ attack and wasn’t as accurate from the boot as he would have liked; and his knock-on with the try-line begging probably summed that first 40. Improved in the second-half, though, notably nailing a 50-22. 5

Back-row

8 Cameron Hanekom: A bright spark in the early exchanges for his side, nabbing a try in the process, and continued on that trajectory upon his return in the second-half. Worked tirelessly on both sides of the ball, leading the way for his side in carries, metres made and tackles. 8

7 Ruan Nortje: Lost the battle against Jamie Ritchie early on, but eventually got the upper hand and that was crucial in his team getting back into the game. Worked incredibly hard in those tight exchanges and got stuck into the breakdown. Grabbed a nice try for his efforts as well. 7

6 Marcell Coetzee: Rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into the tough graft up-front. Brought heaps of physicality to proceedings, which helped his side fight back into the game. 6

Tight five

5 JF van Heerden: Copped a yellow card in the second half but aside from that was solid. Helped the set-piece fire and got himself involved in the defensive efforts. 6

4 Cobus Wiese: Flew under the radar, but certainly put himself about in the tight. Just consistently looked for work. 6

3 Wilco Louw: Never seems to take a backwards step in the scrum, and he was yet again super powerful in that department. Got himself about in the loose too. 8

2 Johan Grobbelaar: Nailed all the fundamentals. Complemented the work of his props in the scrum, accurate at the lineout and worked very hard around the park. 7

1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Like prop partner Louw, scrummaged exceptionally well and looked to get involved in the tight exchanges too. The front-row’s work helped set the tone for their comeback. 8

Replacements: While Edinburgh mounted their own spirited fightback after the Bulls looked to pull away, the bench still held them off and added some nice impact to proceedings. Marco van Staden and Akker van der Merwe were real highlights, bringing heaps of physicality and desire to the Bulls’ pack, but the replacements on the whole should be pleased with their efforts. 6