The Vodacom Bulls will travel to Dublin where they will line up against Leinster in the Vodacom URC Grand Final next Saturday after the two top-ranked teams defeated the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Glasgow Warriors respectively in a gripping semi-final round on Saturday.
The spectacle – the Vodacom Bulls’ third appearance in the final in four seasons – will play out at Croke Park in what will mark Leinster’s first final since the 2020/21 season, with the match kicking off at 18h00 (SA time).
Leinster finally shook off their playoff hoodoo to beat defending champions Glasgow 37-19 at the Aviva Stadium, outscoring their Scottish visitors by six tries to three, while the Vodacom Bulls showed nerves of steel in a nail-biting SA derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks to register a 25-13 victory at Loftus Versfeld, despite receiving three yellow cards in the first half.
The battle in Pretoria, in front of a near capacity crowd of 47,214 fans, was epic as both sides threw everything at one another, although the main difference between the teams was the Vodacom Bulls’ ability to convert most of their chances into points, while their defence was also very good.
In stark contrast, the Hollywoodbets Sharks were again their own worst enemies as they botched several point-scoring chances close to the tryline, conceded penalties at crucial times, and missed four out of their five kicks at goal.
The Vodacom Bulls threatened from the outset and made a strong statement early on as Sebastian de Klerk (wing) scored their first try in the seventh minute following a great break by scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who passed the ball out wide, which the speedster grabbed comfortably and stepped inside to touch down, to take a 7-0 lead.
The Durbanites had a chance to reduce their deficit with a penalty goal, but Jordan Hendrikse pushed the ball wide, and it took only a few more minutes before the Vodacom Bulls stretched their lead to 12-0 after Springbok wing Canan Moodie gathered a stunning cross-kick by De Klerk.
Hendrikse got his team on the scoreboard with a penalty goal shortly after, but the hosts soon found themselves under pressure as Harold Vorster was yellow-carded for cynical play.
While Hendrikse missed his second shot at the goal posts, Goosen converted his attempt with minutes left in the half to go 15-3 up.
The closing minutes before the break were dramatic, as Bok No 8 Cameron Hanekom received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, reducing his team to 13 men, and this paved the way for the KwaZulu-Natalians to get close to the tryline only to be denied by a breakdown turnover.
The Vodacom Bulls were hardly back to 14 men before Marcell Coetzee received their third yellow card, which again reduced them to 13 players, and the visitors threatened once again before being shut out by the effective defence, which saw the home team enter the break with an encouraging 15-3 lead.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks finally put their numerical advantage to good use four minutes after the restart as Bok wing Makazole Mapimpi received a pass out wide with a clear overlap to dot down, and they followed this up with their second five-pointer by Ethan Hooker eight minutes later. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert either of these tries, which saw them trail by 15-13.
Replacement Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Keagan Johannes gave his team some breathing space in the 56th minute with a penalty goal, and they added their third try with 14 minutes left on the clock compliments of David Kriel after Papier hit the half gap before feeding Cobus Wiese, who got the pass out wide, to stretch their lead to 25-13.
With neither team able to add to their tally as the clock wound down, the Vodacom Bulls succeeded in winning their first outing against the Hollywoodbets Sharks this season and booked a rewarding third Vodacom URC Grand Final berth.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls 25 (15) – Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel. Conversions: Johan Goosen, Keagan Johannes. Penalty goals: Goosen, Johannes.
Hollywoodbets Sharks 13 (3) – Tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Ethan Hooker. Penalty goal: Jordan Hendrikse.
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The name for the sport is believed to have originated from “criquet”, the Old French term for stick, goal, or post. It may also have come from “kricke”, a Center Dutch term for stick or staff.
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