Bulls v Stade Francais: Five takeaways as Springboks star ‘completely outplays’ French counterparts in comprehensive victory while Jake White shifts focus to Challenge Cup

Jared Wright
Stade Francais Paris' Yoan Tanga is tackled by Vodacom Bulls' Cameron Hanekom and an insert of Jake White.

Stade Francais Paris' Yoan Tanga is tackled by Vodacom Bulls' Cameron Hanekom and an insert of Jake White.

Following the Bulls’ 48-7 victory over Stade Francais in the Investec Champions Cup clash at Loftus Versveld, here are our five takeaways.

Top line

It was one-way traffic in Pretoria as the Bulls stampeded their way into the Challenge Cup play-offs with a statement victory over Stade Francais.

Bulls boss Jake White laid down the challenge for his side in midweek stating their intention to stay involved in the EPCR competitions despite their Investec Champions Cup hopes evaporating in defeat to Castres.

And his men certainly delivered, running in seven tries as they sent the French side packing, who will now focus solely on Top 14 survival.

A penalty try got the scoring underway as Louis Carbonel was sent for an early 10-minute breather before plotting their path to victory with first-half tries from Devon Williams, Embrose Papier, Ruan Vermaak and Elrigh Louw.

Sekou Macalou’s try was the only blight on the Bulls’ first-half performance but their hopes of a comeback were put to bed with Boeta Chamberlain and Cameron Hanekom crossing for second-half scores.

Bulls hit their target

Bulls boss White rubbished any talk of a ‘dead rubber’ earlier this week as the Pretoria-based side shifted their focus from the Champions Cup to the Challenge Cup.

They headed into the match propping up Pool 3 after three straight defeats but they had the opportunity to stay in an EPCR competition but it wouldn’t be easy.

“There is a lot to play for,” White explained.

“Can we hold them and win by 22 points? Can we keep them to scoring less than four tries and stay 22 points ahead? There are a lot of learnings that we can get out of this game. There is never a dead rubber when the [Vodacom] Bulls are playing, and that says a lot about us as a franchise. We need 22 points, and that is our goal.”

He added: “The EPCR Challenge Cup is all or nothing for us. We want to win and that opportunity for us is now on the Challenge Cup.

“It’s not a dead rubber for anyone, it will be an interesting one for the supporters too because the numbers will change with each point scored.”

Despite the massive permutation challenges that they faced, White’s charges rose to the occasion and duly delivered their favourite’s tag for this fixture.

White has won the Challenge Cup previously, doing so with Montpellier back in 2016, and will know that there are certainly improvements required for the Bulls to win the EPCR’s second division title but today, his side can enjoy the victory and overall performance.

Stormers robbed by ‘brazen thief’ in Paris ahead of Racing 92 clash

Stade Francais’ ill-discipline

Stade Francais’ Investec Champions Cup and European campaign whimpers to a close and in the ill-disciplined manner in which it started. The French club effectively conceded their fate before kick-off naming a youthful team for the daunting task of tackling the Bulls at Loftus Versveld.

While there was a littering of French internationals in the team, it was not their best available team with defence coach Paul Gustard admitting as much before matters got underway.

Today’s defeat means that the Bulls drop into the Challenge Cup against the men in pink and considering the Parisian club’s struggles this season that was quietly the objective for Stade Francais who sit in 13th place in the Top 14.

The odds were certainly stacked against Stade to stay in the Champions Cup needing a bonus-point win over the Bulls and a favour from Saracens against Castres.

Still, the headaches that have plagued Stade Francais all season were evident again today as the competition’s most ill-disciplined team stuck to the script. Carbonel was sent to the sin bin in the opening minutes after shooting off his try-line and impending the pass illegally, conceding the penalty try for his actions.

That set the tone as Stade leaked penalty after penalty in the first half, gifting the Bulls access to the French side’s 22. The penalty count in the first half almost hit double digits but the discipline issues extended beyond that.

Far too often, the discipline around defensive responsibilities were well off the mark, which is understandable in some cases with so many youngsters in the matchday 23.

It was more of the same for Stade, who started their Champions Cup campaign with two a 33-7 defeat to Munster, which included a pair of red cards with another against Saracens a week later.

They managed to keep 15 men on the park against Northampton Saints and had just the one 10-minute period today but their ill-discipline took its toll.

Ex-Springboks captain urges ‘compromised’ South Africa to stand up to the northern hemisphere after ‘bowing’ to their demands

Cameron Hanekom

The mark of a good player is one that delivers high-quality performances regardless of the opposition and scoreboard, and today, that was very much true for the world-class Cameron Hanekom.

While Stade Francais opted to rest several players and give youth a chance, they still had two French internationals in their loose trio, Sekou Macalou and Yoan Tanga, who were both completely outplayed by the one-cap Springbok.

Hanekom has been praised for his all-action performances, dominating several individual stats from the opening three rounds, and today was no different. Rassie Erasmus capped the Bulls star in the final game of 2024 but this year Hanekom is setting the benchmark with his performances.

He set up and scored a try today while he led the way on defence for the men in blue. Not only did he top the tackle count but also won three turnovers, a match-high.

While there were concerns about who Duane Vermeulen’s successor would be after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Jasper Wiese and Evan Roos have eased those worries with the depth now in rude health.

The Springboks face Italy and Georgia this July and Hanekom is making an incredibly strong case that he deserves a spot in the back-row for those matches, whether he dons the number eight jersey or features on the side of the scrum.

Today, he topped the charts for tackles (14), turnovers (3), and offloads (3) adding to his two try involvements and man of the match award.

Work-ons

The Bulls’ performance was aptly described as ‘well-tempered brutality’ by the South African commentators as White’s men ruthlessly went about their business.

However, there remains a lingering issue that the Bulls are falling off in the latter stages of matches. Despite dominating most of the game, the Bulls’ final contribution to the scoreline came in the 50th minute.

The Bulls scrum continued to impress with Wilco Louw teaching poor 19-year-old Isaac Koffi a harsh lesson while Gerhard Steenekamp made light work of veteran 40-year-old tighthead Francisco Gomez-Kodela. If Stade Francais are going to maintain their Top 14 status, they will need their scrum to improve immensely. Granted they were without the Alo-Emiles and Giacomo Nicotera but the four props and two hookers who featured today will certainly be required to step up.

Boeta Chamberlain’s performance today will please White but he will still be sweating over Johan Goosen’s fitness as the side’s attack certainly fires better with him and Willie le Roux in the matchday 23.

Meanwhile, the Bulls’ defence leaked just one try today, a real positive that will look to improve on with the local URC derbies coming up.

READ MORE:?Ulster v Exeter: Five takeaways as ‘very unlucky’ Ireland omission stars alongside ‘outstanding’ Cormac Izuchukwu as Chiefs’ ‘inability to defend’ costs them dear

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top