SCARLETS 21 – 23 BULLS Double World Cup winner Handre Pollard came back to haunt another Welsh team as his 79th minute penalty earned the Bulls victory at the death at Parc y Scarlets. Back in 2019, Pollard kicked a 76th minute penalty to take the Springboks into a 19-16 lead over Wales in the […]
SCARLETS 21 – 23 BULLS
Double World Cup winner Handre Pollard came back to haunt another Welsh team as his 79th minute penalty earned the Bulls victory at the death at Parc y Scarlets.
Back in 2019, Pollard kicked a 76th minute penalty to take the Springboks into a 19-16 lead over Wales in the World Cup semi-final. On that day he scored 14 points, but he went better than that in the BKT United Rugby Championship clash with the Scarlets as he notched.
It was an agonising ending for the Scarlets, who the previous weekend had let a 24-7 lead over Welsh regional rivals Cardiff Rugby slip in a 28-24 defeat. At least they had the satisfaction of outscoring their South African visitors by three tries to two.
In doing so they denied them a bonus point, which was good news for Cardiff who are now in sixth one point ahead of the Bulls in the ‘Race to the Eight’ for the quarter finals.
Scarlets led a bruising contest until the 79th minute to give interim director of rugby Nigel Davies and head coach Dwayne Peel plenty to admire. There was a try for 20-year-old debutant wing Callum Woolley and Wales centre Eddie James and acting skipper and No 8 Fletcher Anderson crossed for the other home scores.
The Bulls took the lead in the fourth minute when wing Cheswill Jooste raced through a gap from a slick line-out move. Joe Hawkins then sent Woolley racing to the line and midway through the half James scythed his way through the Bulls defence for a second.
Pollard then scored a try which he converted to give the Bulls a 14-10 at the break. Then came the fightback from the Scarlets
The Bulls were reduced to 13 men when centre Stedman Gans and replacement prop Francois Klopper picked up yellow cards in quick succession. A tap penalty move from five metres out then paved the way for Anderson to power over from close range.
Once again, Joe Hawkins was unable to add the extras, and he swapped penalties with Pollard in the final 22 minutes. Pollard’s first came from the half-way line to make it 17-15 to the Bulls before Hawkins twice edged the Scarlets in front with two penalties of his own.
But the Bulls, and Pollard in particular, were in no mood to be denied and the legendary Springboks No 10 won the game with two more penalties.