The reigning Currie Cup champions, the Pumas, began the defence of their title with an impressive humiliation of the mighty Blue Bulls at Loftus on Sunday.
Johannesburg — The defending Currie Cup champions demolished their hosts — the Bulls — as they opened their 2023 campaign in emphatic fashion on Sunday at Loftus Versfeld.
The Pumas ran in nine brilliant tries while the hapless Bulls could muster two in a crushing 63-15 win that will set the alarm bells ringing across the competition. The victory will certainly enforce the belief that the Pumas unexpected but fantastic triumph in the tournament last season was no fluke.
The Bulls team that suffered this heavy defeat had some notable names attached to the matchday 23, including Wandilsile Simelane, Lionel Mapoe, Sbu Nkosi, Morne Steyn and Gerhard Steenekamp in the starting XV; with Lizo Gqoboka, Mornay Smith, Chris Smith and Cornal Hendriks on the bench.
They were all outplayed by Jimmy Stonehouse’s charges, with flyhalf Tinus de Beer named Player of the Match after he marshalled his backline to devastating effect. For the most part, the Bulls looked bereft of ideas, scoring through the efforts of eighthman Mihlali Mosi in the 23rd minute and Hendricks in the 74th minute.
💣 Back with a bang!
The defending champions ran in nine tries at Loftus for a massive win in their first game of the 2023 #CurrieCup#WhereLegendsRise pic.twitter.com/dOrduWBIX9
— The Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) March 12, 2023
Steyn accounted for the five other points through his boot. The Bulls No.10 and De Beer traded penalties in the first 10 minutes, before Pumas hooker Eduan Swart dotted over the tryline in the corner after a clever set-move off of an attacking line-out in the 13th minute.
Ten minutes later, Mosi capitalised on a Pumas error to snaffle the ball and crash over the whitewash to make it 8-8. It would be the last time the Bulls had any say in the clash as the visitors went on a try-scoring rampage.
Tries from Giovan Snyman, Sebastian de Klerk, Jade Stighling, Devon Williams, Andre Fouche, a brace from Diego Appollis, and Francois Kleinhans — most of them spectacular, all of them awe-inspiring — blew the Pretoria-based side away in the following 50 minutes.
The victory will be a fantastic confidence-booster for the defending champions, who next face the Lions at Mbombela Stadium on Friday, while the Bulls will be nursing crushed egos as they prepare for Western Province at Loftus, also on Friday.
Bulls (8) 15 — Tries: Mosi, Hendricks; Conversion: Steyn; Penalty: Steyn
Pumas (27) 63 — Tries: Swart, Snyman, De Klerk, Stighling, Williams, Fouche, Appollis (2), Kleinhans; Conversions: De Beer (4), Snyman, Thomson; Penalties: De Beer (2)
