Young Bulls crowned as national u21 champion
The Bulls' junior teams still dominate rugby at this level in South Africa, as the union's u.21 team proved last week by winning the national u.21 league when they defeated the Lions in the final.
The Bulls claimed the 2022 SA Rugby u.21 Cup with a clinical performance at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where they beat the Lions in an entertaining Final 41-26 last week.
Junior Springbok hooker Tiaan Lange and his team clinched the game by outscoring their Gauteng neighbours by six tries to four.
The young men from Pretoria were leading 24-12 at halftime and despite a strong start in the second half by the Lions, the Bulls regained momentum to race away for a well-deserved 41-26 triumph.
It was sweet revenge for the hosts, who lost 27-20 to their Cup final opponents at the end of last month in the league phase of the competition – the only game they lost in this phase.
Lange had another good game in the number two jersey for the Bulls and scored two of his team’s six tries, each time dotting down after powerful lineout mauls.
The home side raced into a 24-7 lead just before the break thanks to tries from Lange, fullback Franco Knoetze and Junior Springbok utility back Compion von Ludwig, this time playing flyhalf for the Bulls.
Knoetze also added a snap drop goal, while scrumhalf Tiaan Fourie added the extras with conversion kicks.
The Joburg side scored two tries in the opening spell through skipper and flank Jarod Cairns, while another loose forward Renzo du Plessis went over following a nice, flowing Lions move. Pivot Sam Francis slotted the conversion to reduce the halftime deficit to 12 points.
In the opening part of the second half, it was the white and red jerseys who came out more determined in an effort to wipe out their deficit.
Du Plessis rounded off another counter-attack and when number 8 Connor van Vuuren went over for the Lions’ fourth try. Although the Joburg side edged into the lead at 26-24, a lot of rugby still had to be played in the second half.
The Bulls side composed themselves to regain the momentum, and they ran out comfortable winners in the end thanks to three more second half tries – two by Marco de Witt – while their opponents were kept scoreless late in the game.
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