This quarter final began with the exact amount of intensity you would expect from a game at Loftus. Aside from carries this was clear after winger De Klerk was yellow carded for a clumsy hit on Darcy Graham only three minutes in.
Capitalising on the Bulls yellow card Edinburgh struck first. After a short ball from Ritchie to Currie Edinburgh did the simple things and got the ball through the hands for Goosen to finish in the corner.
An excellent break from deep, that saw how dangerous Edinburgh can be, ended in a Bulls penalty that was converted by Johannes.
Thompson continued Edinburgh’s dream start as Edinburgh worked their way nicely up to the try line with some big carries. A tremendous piece of vision by Thompson identified a mismatch, manipulating the defence he then reached out to score Edinburgh’s second try.
The Bulls needed a big response, and Edinburgh gave them the opportunity. Three penalties in a row by Edinburgh players eventually leading to Hanekom picking and going in front of the try line. This try was a much-needed spark for the bulls after a difficult first twenty-minutes.
The confidence from Everitt’s side was shining through as they picked up their third and Thompsons second try. The score was straight off the training ground as Edinburgh found Thompson within one phase who used his footwork to spin and dot it down.
As was the nature of this game one lack in effort was capitalised on as Edinburgh held back on their kick chase. Le Roux in all his experience hit a hard line to pierce the defence and set up a simple two on one with Kriel who ran it in. A big moment with ten minutes to go in the first half.
The Bulls continued to build their game as they were able to turn defence in to attack after a chip and chase by Graham. It was another experienced moment from Le Roux to throw the long pass to the wing who repeated Grahams attempt with more success. In the end it was center Vorster who dotted down with Price in hot pursuit.
Edinburgh seemed slightly passive in the opening five minutes of the second half which Bulls spotted and leveraged straight away. Darcy Graham was caught in a bad position defensively which allowed Le Roux to tip it on to Moodie who ran in to give Bulls the lead for the first time.
Bulls had their tails up now and Edinburgh were looking tired from a physical first half. Things only got worse as Keegan Johannes made an excellent run catching a sluggish defence with their shoulders turned and ran through to take his teams lead to eleven points.
Jake White’s side was in full swing now as they appeared to be running away with the game after a second quick successive try scored by Ruan Nortje. Edinburgh continued to decline under the pressure of this imposing Bulls team.
There was hope as Edinburgh found themselves going back to basics with big simple big carries. These eventually worked as Ashman was put through open space.
Edinburgh then went through the highs and lows as Thompson was given a yellow card for a deliberate knock on, and the bulls kicked for three points. Not long after this however Edinburgh scored a through some great interplay between Graham and Bradbury that involved a controversial forward pass, but the try stood. With ten minutes to go Edinburgh were just nine points away from a semi-final.
It was an immense effort from the Edinburgh men but evidently that first ten minutes of the second half was decisive in who came out on top. It has been a tremendous last block of the season for the capital side, and it will be exciting to see what they can bring next season. For now, they can hold their heads high after an impressive performance against one of the top teams in the URC.
Yellow cards –
Edinburgh: R.Thompson (60”)
Bulls: S.De Klerk (3”) JF.Van Heerden (59”)
Scoring sequence (Edinburgh first): 7-0, 7-3, 14-3, 14-8, 21-8, 31-13, 21-18, HT, 21-25, 21-32, 21-39, 28-39, 28-42, 33-42, FT
MOTM: Willie Le Roux
Teams:
Edinburgh – P.Schoemann(B.Venter 50”), E.Ashman(P.Harrison 59”), D.Rae(J.Sebastian 50”), M.Sykes, S.Skinner, J.Ritchie(B.Muncaster 52”), H.Watson, M.Bradbury(L.Mcconnell 73”), A.Price(, R.Thompson(B.Healy 71”), H.Paterson, J.Lang (M.Bennett 52”), M.Currie, D.Graham, W.Goosen
Bulls – J-H.Wessels(S.Matanzima 64”), J.Grobbelaar(A.Van Der Merwe 48”), W.Louw(Smith 64”), C.Wiese (J.Kirsten 69”), JF.Van Heerden, M.Coetzee(Van Staden 48”), R.Nortje, C.Hanekom, E.Papier(Burger 62”), K.Johannes, S.De Klerk, H.Vorster(Gans 64”), D.Kriel, C.Moodie(Williams 64”), W.Le Roux
Edinburgh 33 -Bulls 42
