Bulls beat Pumas at Craven Week

The Blue Bulls delivered a solid all-round performance against the Pumas to register their first victory in the tournament yesterday.

Their forwards and backs combined well to push the team onto the front foot.

Fly-half and captain Eddie Fouché and scrum-half Embrose Papier played in a vital role in sparking their attack. Fouché kept the team ahead on the scoreboard thanks to his solid goal-kicking, which earned him a personal total of 13 points in the match.

The Pumas scored the first try in the third minute and they added another in the 27th minute, but two penalties and two converted tries by the Blue Bulls forced the Pretoria side into a 20-12 halftime lead.

The Pumas tried hard to retain possession and apply pressure on the Bulls after the break, but they battled to breach the solid defence and were limited to only one try in the second half.

The Blue Bulls, meanwhile, managed to cross the tryline two more times in what proved to be a tight half, while Fouché added his third penalty to secure a convincing 35-17 win.

Scorers:

Blue Bulls

Tries: Runan Venter, Ruben van Heerden, Wayne Van der Bank (2).

Conversions: Eddie Fouche (2), Runan Venter. Penalties: Eddie Fouche (3).

Pumas

Tries: Ruben Roodt, Marnus Van der Merwe, Dewald Maritz.

Conversion: Wessel Muller.