The Vodacom Bulls delivered a powerful performance to keep their playoff hopes alive in the United Rugby Championship, defeating Cardiff Rugby 40-7 on Friday.

Despite an early setback, the Pretoria side showed resilience and attacking strength, running in six tries, five of them in a dominant first half, to secure a valuable bonus point.

Cardiff opened the scoring in the third minute through Harri Millard, whose converted try gave the visitors a 7-0 lead. However, momentum quickly shifted after Cardiff were reduced to 14 men following a yellow card.

The Bulls capitalised almost immediately, using their forward power to good effect. Two well-executed lineout drives resulted in tries for Marcell Coetzee and Johann Grobbelaar, putting the hosts ahead 12-7.

The home side continued to apply pressure, with Kurt-Lee Arendse playing a key role in the build-up to the third try, finished off by David Kriel.

Shortly after, Embrose Papier crossed the line following a well-timed pass from Arendse, before Elrigh Louw secured the bonus point on the stroke of halftime. Louw gathered a clever cross-kick from Nizaam Carr to extend the lead to 33-7 at the break.

The second half saw fewer points, despite continued dominance from the Bulls. Errors at key moments prevented them from adding to their tally, while Cardiff showed determination on defence.

The only try after halftime came from Ruan Vermaak, sealing a convincing win for the Pretoria outfit.

The result keeps the Bulls firmly in the race for a top-eight finish as the competition heads into its final stages.

Scorers:

Vodacom Bulls 40 (33) – Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Johann Grobbelaar, David Kriel, Embrose Papier, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Vermaak. Conversions: Handre Pollard (4), Kriel.

Cardiff 7 (7) – Try: Harri Millard. Conversion: Callum Sheedy.