The Vodacom Bulls lifted the Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked trophy with a convincing 21-5 win over the Phakisa Pumas at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon.

The Bulls won the match with a clinical first-half performance, though the Pumas fought back well in the second half.

Before the game started, a moment’s silence was held in honour of Pumas eighthman, Willie Engelbrecht’s father, Buks, who died in a vehicle accident on Friday night.

The Bulls completely dominated the first half.

The Pumas never got out of the starting blocks. The visitors were poor in the set pieces, conceded too many penalties and were outclassed by the Bulls’ intensity and excellent execution of their game plan.

Kurt-Lee Arendse scored first after a period of sustained attacking in the Pumas 22-metre area.

Former Pumas fly half,Chris Smith, crashed over next, followed by Ivan van Zyl.

Smith nailed all three conversions to put the Bulls 21-0 up after 21 minutes.

The Bulls continued to dominate and could have scored two more tries, but unforced errors saved the Pumas.

They were relentless in controlling the pace of the first-half. Quality possession led to points.

The Pumas did not gel as a team. They battled to cross the advantage line and struggled at the breakdown. They did not create a single scoring opportunity in 40 minutes.

The second half was a different matter.

The Pumas did the basics well and held onto the ball longer.

The Bulls were taken aback by their intensity and the visitors were the better team for the second 40 minutes.

The Phakisa Pumas were rewarded with a try on 46 minutes when HP van Schoor went over from a maul. Fiela Boshoff missed an easy conversion.

The Pumas bench made a huge difference and the team played with massive belief.

The Bulls’ defence held out and although the Pumas played with their hearts on their sleeves, they could not cross the try line again.

Over 80 minutes, the Bulls were simply the better side. The

Pumas lost four lineouts, three in a row in the second half.

The Mpumalanga side played with spirit and never gave up. It was a tough Unlocked campaign for the Pumas. It ended in defeat, but there are many positives to take into the Carling Currie Cup competition.