The Bulls produced a dominant display of power rugby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, dismantling the Lions 57-15 in their URC Round 3 Jukskei derby to avenge last season's 43-33 defeat to the same opponents.
Cameron Hanekom was named man of the match after a standout performance, with Canan Moodie also among the prominent Springbok contributors in a nine-try haul — a sharp contrast to the Bulls' earlier loss to Munster.
The Lions actually started the brighter of the two sides, controlling territory and possession in the opening quarter and taking a 7-5 lead. The game turned decisively in the 26th minute when Morne van den Berg slapped the ball from Paul de Wet's hands as the scrumhalf attempted to ground it near the line, earning the Springbok halfback a yellow card. Johan Grobbelaar had already scored from the resulting passage of play, and the Bulls made brutal use of the Lions' numerical disadvantage — Hanekom crossed twice in those ten minutes to effectively end the contest as a contest before halftime, with the bonus point secured.
Hanekom's first came off a lineout move that saw Sebastian de Klerk cut through the midfield, with Hanekom on hand to finish. His second try featured a powerful handoff that drew widespread attention at Loftus.
The Lions' only response during that period was a Chris Smith penalty. Harold Vorster had opened the Bulls' scoring with a chip-and-collect try, while Siba Qoma crossed from a lineout move to give the Lions brief hope early on.
The Bulls pack continued to assert themselves in the second half, milking penalties off the setpiece and extending their lead to the final margin of 57-15.
A refereeing decision drew criticism during the second half when Siba Mahashe upended Moodie in a high-ball challenge but escaped a yellow card. Referee Hanru van Rooyen ruled that because Mahashe's fingers made contact with the ball the collision was unfortunate rather than foul play, a decision TMO Aimee Barrett-Theron queried without effect. Given that Mahashe did not win the contest in the air, the ruling is likely to attract ongoing scrutiny.