The Bulls defeated Zebre 47-13 in Parma on Saturday evening, ensuring a clean sweep for South Africa in the opening round of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
This match was part of a brilliant rugby weekend for South African rugby: earlier, Stormers beat Connacht in Galway, Lions overcame defending champions Leinster in Johannesburg, and Sharks crushed Ospreys in Durban.
Although the game in Parma started as if the Bulls were in second place last season and the Italians in sixteenth and last, the Bulls gradually took control of the match.
The first ten minutes were dominated by the Parma team, while the Bulls desperately fought in defense and managed to concede only a three-point penalty kick in the first quarter.
The initial exchanges also raised an interesting question regarding World Rugby's efforts to improve the accessibility of the game for viewers with color blindness, as both teams were dressed in blue, which made it difficult to distinguish player affiliations.
United Rugby Championship
The team in Italian blue scored the opening try through a penalty kick by Tommaso Allan in the 13th minute. The Bulls gradually picked up momentum, aided by a mistake from Zebre's hooker, Matteo Canali, who collapsed a maul near his line. Canali was sent to the blue card for a deliberate offside infringement near the ruck, and the Bulls were awarded a penalty try.
At the half-hour mark, Allan scored a second penalty kick, but the Bulls responded with a try from hooker Reinhardt Ludwig after a series of powerful phases in the Zebre zone. Then came a potentially decisive moment two minutes before halftime. A Zebre defender attempted to run the ball wide, but Bulls scrum-half Paul de Wet intercepted the ball and ran 50 meters to score under the posts.
At halftime, the Bulls led 21-6, reflecting their composure under pressure and ruthless efficiency in capitalizing on limited opportunities.
The next Bulls score, made three minutes into the second half, was not random. The team effectively controlled possession for three minutes, after which hooker Juan Vermaak gained space and ran to the goal line. Zebre's resistance was broken.
The Bulls increased the tempo, and their best attack led to another try, completed by center Harold Forster, utilizing continuous forward drives. Zebre captain and scrum-half Alessandro Fusco managed to score a try late in the third quarter, but by the time the score reached 35-13, the contest was effectively over.
This was confirmed when substitute hooker J. F. van Heerden broke through near the posts and scored. Substitute scrum-half Zack Burger scored in the final seconds, concluding an impressive performance by the Bulls and the culmination of a perfect opening weekend for four South African teams in the URC.
Scoring statistics:
- Zebre — Try: Alessandro Fusco. Conversion: Allan. Penalties: Tommaso Allan (2).
- Bulls — Tries: Penalty try, Reinhardt Ludwig, Paul de Wet, Juan Vermaak, Harold Forster, J. F. van Heerden, Zack Burger. Conversions: Kurwin Bosch (6).