Seven tries to one. The Vodacom Bulls opened their season with a 47-13 bonus-point win in the Bulls vs Zebre clash at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma on Saturday, and last season’s runners-up did it without their Springbok front row.
The result completed a clean sweep for the South African sides on the opening weekend of the United Rugby Championship. The Stormers won 29-15 against Connacht in Galway, the Lions beat defending champions Leinster in Johannesburg, and the Sharks ran over the Ospreys in Durban.
Zebre are still waiting for a first win in this fixture. The Bulls vs Zebre head-to-head stayed perfect for Pretoria, following the 54-19 result at Loftus in May.
Bulls vs Zebre: The Penalty Try That Turned It
Zebre actually struck first. New signing Tommaso Allan kicked an early penalty, and the home side were sharp at the breakdown through the opening quarter.
The shift came in the 26th minute. Referee Andrew Brace awarded a penalty try after lock Matteo Canali illegally stopped a Bulls maul close to the line, and Canali was yellow-carded for it.
Allan’s second penalty cut it to 7-6, but that was as close as Zebre got. With the extra man, the Bulls pack went to work and lock Reinhardt Ludwig barged over for the first of his two tries.
Then came the moment that broke the home side’s first half. Paul de Wet picked off a pass around 50 metres out and ran it in shortly before the break, sending the Bulls to the sheds 21-6 up.
A New Halfback Pairing Clicks
Paul de Wet only started at scrumhalf because Embrose Papier is injured, and he made the jersey his own for the night.
Curwin Bosch partnered him at flyhalf on his URC debut for the Bulls. The 29-year-old returned from French club Brive to restart a career that stalled after he left the Sharks in 2023.
He landed all four of his conversions before handing the kicking duties to Willie le Roux. For a player the Bulls are backing to reignite his career, a clean return off the tee in his first outing is a strong start.
The four-try bonus point arrived within minutes of the restart. Lock Ruan Vermaak crashed over early in the second half, and Bosch’s conversion stretched it to 28-6.
Harold Vorster added the fifth try around the 50-minute mark, and Bosch’s fourth conversion made it 35-6. At that point the contest was effectively over.
Zebre’s reply came through captain Alessandro Fusco just before the hour. Allan converted, and 13 points was all the Italians would manage.
The Bulls had their own discipline lapse late on when No 8 Jeandré Rudolph was sent to the bin for offside. It barely registered. Ludwig muscled over for his second, le Roux converted, and Zebre replacement Sergio Pelliccioli was then yellow-carded as well.
Replacement scrumhalf Zak Burger had the final say, scoring in the dying moments to make it 47-13. The conversion was missed.
Who Was Missing In Parma
What makes the margin more telling is who was not there. Springbok front-rowers Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Johan Grobbelaar are in Perth preparing for the Wallabies Test, and Papier’s absence forced a brand-new combination at nine and ten.
Sebastian de Klerk’s return was another win on the day. The winger missed the end of last season and the July Tests with a serious foot injury, and instead he started on the right wing in the opening round.
Hanro Liebenberg, back from Leicester Tigers, slotted into the loose trio alongside captain Marcell Coetzee and Rudolph. The forwards set the platform that allowed the backs to play in the second half.
The tour now moves to Munster at Thomond Park, a far sterner examination than a Zebre side that faded after the first half-hour. The Lions derby at Loftus follows when the squad returns home.
Five points from URC Round 1 away from home is exactly what head coach Johan Ackermann wanted before Limerick. The Bulls vs Zebre scoreline will not be the last time this season the new halfback pairing gets tested, but it was the right way to begin.
The Scoring
Bulls 47: Tries: Penalty try, Reinhardt Ludwig (2), Paul de Wet, Ruan Vermaak, Harold Vorster, Zak Burger. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4), Willie le Roux.
Zebre Parma 13: Try: Alessandro Fusco. Conversion: Tommaso Allan. Penalties: Allan (2).
Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Reinhardt Ludwig, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Juann Else, 1 Alu Tshakweni. Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 JF van Heerden, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Cheswill Jooste, 23 Hakeem Kunene.
