Cardiff's Late Comeback Falls Short At Bulls

United Rugby Championship

Bulls (31) 45

Tries: Vorster, W Louw, Moodie, Hanekom, De Klerk 2 Cons: Goosen, Johannes 5 Pen: Goosen

Cardiff (0) 21

Tries: Mann, Williams, Hamer-Webb Cons: B Thomas 3

Play-off chasing Cardiff were near empty-handed arsenic a precocious comeback fell short against nan Bulls.

The hosts crossed for six tries successful what was desperately one-sided title astatine Loftus Versfeld until nan last 10 minutes.

What Cardiff's defence coach Gethin Jenkins made of his team's scatterbrain guidance tin only beryllium imagined erstwhile they trailed 45-7 aft 52 minutes.

Cardiff knew their champion dream of claiming nan azygous constituent that could beryllium capable to unafraid a apical 8 decorativeness would beryllium from scoring tries.

But they fell agonisingly short of a bonus-point aft second-half tries from Alex Mann, Teddy Williams and Gabriel Hamer-Webb.

They now person six days to rediscover nan shape that had lifted them to 5th earlier this play to clinch a first play-off spot.

No squad has made much tackles successful nan convention this play than Cardiff and that position seldom looked nether threat arsenic Bulls dominated from nan start.

The hosts romped into a 31-0 lead pinch a operation of acold much than conscionable emblematic South African brute force.

Willie le Roux, among 3 returning Springboks, and Canan Moodie revelled pinch truthful overmuch possession and nan acres of abstraction they were allowed by Cardiff.

Moodie group up nan first effort for Harold Vorster earlier galloping clear from 40 metres retired disconnected Le Roux's perfectly timed pass.

Of people location was sheer powerfulness arsenic Springbok forwards Wilco Louw and Cameron Hanekom barged done tired tackles connected nan effort line.

Le Roux doubly group up Sebastian de Klerk for easy scores. The first from Johan Mulder's bad boy footwear earlier leaving Harri Millard ball-watching for nan wing's second.

Trailing 45-7, nan presence of Taulupe Faletau and Williams disconnected nan chair galvanised a precocious Cardiff rally.

Mann mixed pinch Williams for a 2nd effort and Hamer-Webb sewage his 5th successful 3 games successful nan past 8 minutes.

But Hamer-Webb's earlier missed walk to Cam Winnett proved costly arsenic Cardiff narrowly missed a bonus.

Bulls: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Zak Burger, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johann Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden, Marcell Coetzee, Ruan Nortje (capt), Cameron Hanekom

Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Alulutho Tshakweni, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Marco van Staden, Keagan Johannes, Devon Williams, Stedman Gans.

Cardiff: Cam Winnett; Josh Adams, Harri Millard, Ben Thomas (capt), Gabriel Hamer-Webb; Tinus de Beer, Johan Mulder; Corey Domachowski, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Josh McNally, Rory Thornton, Alex Mann, James Botham, Alun Lawrence.

Replacements: Liam Belcher, Danny Southworth, Rhys Litterick, Teddy Williams, Dan Thomas, Taulupe Faletau, Aled Davies, Rory Jennings.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)

Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Dylen November (SARU)

TMO: Andrew Brace (IRFU)