Following the Lions’ 43-33 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship clash.
Top line
The Lions win the first Jukskei derby of the 2025/26 season, running in six tries to the Bulls‘ five, to clinch their first victory over their former head coach in his new role in Pretoria.
The Joburgers were quickest out of the blocks on their return to URC action as former Bull Chris Smith opened the scoring with a penalty in the 10th minute before Kelly Mpeku was quickest to the ball after a loose pass by Willie le Roux as the Lions raced into a 10-point lead.
Nico Steyn rounded off a stunning team score in the 22nd minute before the Bulls finally struck back as Embrose Papier grabbed a quick-fire brace. Stravino Jacobs and Seb de Klerk used their pace to scythe through the Lions’ defence to create the two scores for their scrum-half.
A helter-skelter final 10 minutes of the first half saw the sides trade blows as Jarrod Cairns latched onto a deft kick through by Quan Horn to score in the corner, but the Bulls replied before the half-time whistle as their maul rambled over the line and Akker van der Merwe touched down.
The Lions crossed first in the second half as Etienne Oosthuizen went over in the 51st minute, but the damage was really done in the final 10 minutes as Eduan Keyter and Steyn scored in quick succession to go into a 43-19 lead.
The Bulls, significantly drained of their Springboks, attempted an unlikely comeback as Keagan Johannes and De Klerk scored late tries, but they left themselves with too much to do, ultimately losing by 10 points.
Running off the rust
It was quite clear that these two teams hadn’t played in a while as they very much shook off the rust, particularly in the first 20 minutes.
The first hour of action produced 14 scrums and 22 turnovers, as both teams struggled with cohesion and accuracy, which was understandable given that they had not played in a month.
The dampness of the pitch wouldn’t have helped. It may have looked like perfect conditions, but the ball would have undoubtedly been a bit slippery considering the recent downpour across Gauteng. Thankfully for both teams, they were able to brush off the cobwebs this week before the start of the EPCR competitions.
Ackermann’s charges did look the rustier side, though, as they were wasteful in the Lions’ 22, letting the visitors off the hook time after time. As the game progressed, the Bulls’ defence looked softer and softer, emphasised by the Lions’ rapid two tries in the final two minutes of the game.
The injection of the more battle-hardened Boks could do wonders for the Bulls, who face defending champions Bordeaux in their opening pool stage match next week, because boy, they need it.
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A contest, everywhere!
Loftus has not been a happy hunting ground in recent times for the Lions but they finally ended their drought and did so by making every single facet of the game a real contest.
Ivan van Rooyen’s side competed particularly well in the lineouts and while the Bulls did win possession on most occasions, the quality of it was not good enough to use as a launchpad for attacks.
The Lions scrum also will have been less fancied today but the Joburgers managed to eke out a massive penalty inside their own 22 and largely held their own.
But perhaps the most telling stat that the two nations were rusty was the Bulls’ 76% tackle success rate and the Lions’ 81%.
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Chris Smith rules Loftus
Back at Loftus but in red as the former Bull returned to his old stomping ground and was the architect of his former employers’ demise, marshalling the Lions to their first victory across the Jukskei in two years.
Chris Smith has never been the flashiest of fly-halves, but he certainly has the nuts and bolts on point, and that was the case today. His show-and-go cut open a massive gap in the Bulls’ defence, and he brilliantly exploited it as the Lions cantered through to grab the second try.
He did miss a pair of shots at goal, one of which the ball fell off the tee twice, but his five from six conversion attempts proved crucial.
It was not a fly-half masterclass, but ultimately, he took the right options most of the time, kicked well, controlled the tempo of the Lions’ attack and was crucial in the final outcome.
Bok radar
Is it too early to start looking at who Rassie Erasmus could be looking at in 2026? Short answer, no.
Several of the Bulls’ Boks are in Cardiff to take on Wales – namely Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Ruan Nortje, Canan Moodie, and Marco van Staden – which gave many the opportunity to stick their hands up for Investec Champions Cup selection and perhaps higher honours next year.
Le Roux refused to close the door on the Boks earlier this week, stating, “I just need to stay healthy and fit, because we don’t know what lies ahead.”
However, he didn’t produce a statement performance to further his chances. The Lions pounced on a loose pass from the Bok veteran to score the opening try, while his tactical kicking wasn’t on point. A few passes were unkind too, while he dropped a rudimentary high ball cold. Perhaps it was just a matter of shaking off the rust and there were shoots of light from the veteran full-back, they were few and far between.
The Springboks’ centre stocks is in rude health but Bronson Mills certainly staked a claim that perhaps he should be looked at closely. He married his pace, power and playmaking prowess well throughout the game. His 50:22 was a stunner and directly resulted in a try. His midfield partner Henco van Wyk is highly thought of by Erasmus and his staff, but his injury troubles have delayed a Test debut, and he was forced off early once again. David Kriel was also an early substitute, a hammer blow to the Bulls ahead of the Champions Cup.
Papier was excellent once again, and perhaps if he continues in this vein, he will finally get a look back into the squad next year, but he has got such stiff competition, which includes his opposite number, Nico Steyn, who also had a strong outing.
Elrigh Louw’s return, months ahead of schedule, was a welcome one and the man known as the Sheriff quickly got back to hammering ball carriers and got stuck right back, sporting a fresh mullet.
Seb de Klerk showed precisely why he has featured on the Bok standby list this year as he flexed his rapid pace and left the Lions’ defence reeling as Papier raced over for the Bulls’ opening score. His opportunities with the ball in hand were few and far between, but overall, he was solid.
Finally, Quan Horn will surely add to his Test cap tally next year. He has repeatedly been namedropped by Erasmus in press conferences but has fallen victim to the depth that South Africa have at full-back. However, he has reportedly rejected advances from clubs abroad to remain in South Africa beyond this season as he is hellbent on earning a recall. Today, he showed why it’s not beyond the realms of possibility to produce another strong performance that included a delicious kick try assist and commanded the backfield. With Le Roux falling out of the mix, Horn will be pressing to fill his void.
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