5 of the best for Bulls

Which Bulls’ stars made it into the URC Team of the Season?

It was an exceptional season for the South African sides in the United Rugby Championship, with their teams dominating in the competition.

The regular season had ended with Irish side Leinster finishing at the top of the tree. This is something that had become the norm when it was just the Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian sides in the league, and the introduction of the South African teams did not rock the boat on this.

However, of the four teams left for the off-season, two sides were South African, with two Irish sides alongside them.

The Stormers finished in second with the Bulls in fourth, making bookmakers including Stake with the promo code NEWBONUS, write off their chances of being crowned champions.

But their placement in the table did not matter in the end, with the pair defeating Leinster and Ulster in tight victories to make the final.

In that final at the Cape Town Stadium, it was the Stormers that managed to outlast their opponents in a gripping game, ultimately beating the Bulls 18-13 to claim the first ever URC crown.

Following that game, the South African team of the tournament was quickly announced, with a total of five Bulls players in the team despite their defeat in the final.

Below, we have brought together the entire team of the tournament with a focus on the Bulls’ players in the side.

URC Team of the Year

15 Warwick Gelant (Stormers)

14 Madosh Tambwe (Bulls)

13 Ruhan Nel (Stormers)

12 Damian Willemse (Stormers)

11 Leolin Zas (Stormers)

10 Manie Libbok (Stormers)

9 Morne van der Berg (Lions)

8 Evan Roos (Stormers)

7 Vincent Tshituka (Lions)

6 Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)

5 Ruan Nortje (Bulls)

4 Walt Steenkamp (Bulls)

3 Thomas du Toi (Sharks)

2 Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls)

1 Steve Kitshoff (Stormers)

14 Madosh Tambwe

While the speedster played on the opposite flank for most of the competition, it would have been impossible to leave him out. Eight tries is a very impressive tally in a league where there are a lot of very defensive minded teams.

We were particularly impressed by his ability under the high ball. It seems that many options on the flanks are chosen solely due to their ability to attack with the ball in hand. However, being able to defuse situations by catching the high ball is vital, and it is a skill Tambwe has. He was also very strong defensively, putting in a shift when defending his touchline.

6 Marcell Coetzee

Being a forward is not only about hitting the opposition line hard with the ball in hand or doing your bit at the set-piece. Of course, it is vitally important, but Coetzee did all of this and then some this season.

Impressively, he brought the ability to come steaming in at the opposition and, instead of always taking the ball to ground, he showcased quick hands as he starred with his offloading game. Throw in the fact he was a demon at the breakdown, and you have got yourself a very complete flanker.

5 Ruan Nortje

Ruan Nortje was a demon in the lineout and was the target so many times on the Bulls’ throw, while he would continually prove to be a disruptive presence on the opposition’s throw. As is the case with any forward these days, Nortje has been able to prove that he is a real utility man, with excellent running with both the ball in hand and on the shoulder of the man in possession, making him a threat when the Bulls were in possession too.

4 Walt Steenkamp

Despite struggling to make an impact at the start of the season, Walt Steenkamp was able to grow into the campaign. This would be a particularly strong area of this Team of the Season, with the second-row coming from the Bulls. Steenkamp was able to dominate at the line-out and he was a menace with the ball in hand. His highlight for the season came in a dominant performance in the semi-finals against Leinster.

2 Johan Grobbelaar

While Johan Grobbelaar did not quite hit the same level as he did last season he, like Steenkamp, was able to grow into the season to the point where no other player in the URC will want to come up against him again. A solid player for the Bulls over the course of the season, Grobbelaar saved his best for the semi-finals and final, with big carries with the ball, turnovers and huge scrummaging helping to keep the Bulls’ opponents at arms-length.