Ospreys are hit by a second-half comeback as Bulls run out 53-40 winners in their United Rugby Championship opener in Pretoria.
United Rugby Championship, Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Bulls (19) 53
Tries: Coetzee 2, Grobbelaar 3, Jooste 2, Serfontein, Else Cons: Johannes 4
Ospreys (26) 40
Tries: Giles 2, K Williams 2, Walsh, M Morse Cons: Edwards 5
Ospreys suffered a 53-40 defeat to Bulls in their United Rugby Championship (URC) opener after being hit by a second-half power show in Pretoria.
Mark Jones' men were beaten by the 2024-25 runners-up at Loftus Versfeld but did at least get a consolation bonus point thanks to four tries in a superb first-half display.
They led 26-19 at the break thanks to scores by wing Keelan Giles, centre Kieran Williams' double and full-back Jack Walsh.
Bulls' response was impressive and they bossed the second half to get the Johan Ackermann era off to a nine-try successful start, with hooker Johan Grobbelaar scoring a hat-trick.
Number eight Morgan Morse and Giles went over as Ospreys scored 40 points in defeat.
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The South African side flexed their muscles to run out convincing winners despite being without their Springboks, but Ospreys' performance at one of the URC's toughest venues, particularly their enterprise in the first half, gave some reason for optimism.
They will try to get something from their trip to Stormers in round two on Friday, 3 October - with British and Irish Lions flanker Jac Morgan potentially featuring - before returning to Bridgend to face Zebre Parma and Glasgow.
Ospreys went 5-0 up with a strike play from a scrum in the second minute that saw centre Phil Cokanasiga make a line break for Walsh to put Giles over down the left.
It was 12-0 after six minutes after wing Dan Kasende went through a gaping hole in defence and gave centre Williams a run-in, Dan Edwards converting.
Bulls' response was rapid and flanker Marcell Coetzee hammered his way over from close range with Keagan Johannes adding the simple conversion.
Wales hooker Dewi Lake was relieved to see a big hit on lock Cobus Wiese given the all-clear by referee Federico Vedovelli.
However, TMO footage led to Coetzee being awarded his second try in the 21st minute after he peeled off a driving lineout, that despite the manful efforts of flanker Harri Deaves to get under his back-row rival over the line.
Bulls full-back Devon Williams was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on in the 27th minute and Ospreys made their numerical advantage count.
First a burst down the left wing and offload by Deaves put Walsh over and then Williams finished powerfully from close range, with Edwards' conversions making it 26-12.
Bulls cut the gap to two points when hooker Johan Grobbelaar scored tries either side of half-time, the first after unrelenting pressure in the 22 and second from a driving line-out.
The momentum had swung and the South Africans hit the front in the 51st minute when talented young wing Cheswill Jooste showed his blistering pace to make it 29-26.
With Ospreys lock James Fender sin-binned for side entry as penalties racked up, Grobbelaar completed his hat-trick and centre Jan Serfontein sprinted over to make it 41-26.
Ospreys number eight Morgan Morse powered over in the 66th minute with the conversion making it 41-33.
But hope of another bonus point was soon snuffed out by a try from replacement hooker Juann Else and a second by Jooste put Bulls past the half-century, although Giles had the final say with a superb finish.
Ospreys captain Dewi Lake said:
"There were a lot of positives. To come to Loftus Versfeld and score 40 points is an immense display of attack but to concede 53 is tough to take.
"There were certain areas where we didn't match them physically – driving maul, scrum – but around the park it was a massive physical step up from us.
"We walk away with a lot of work-ons but also a massive amount of positives.
"We are excited by the Stormers game – we have turned them over before in Cape Town and will be looking to do the same again."
Bulls: D Williams; Jooste, Kriel, Serfontein, Isaacs; Johannes, Papier; Shekwani, Johan Grobbelaar, Smith, Jaco Grobbelaar, van Heerden, Coetzee (capt), Gumede, van der Westhuizen.
Replacements: Else, Swart, Klopper, C Wiese, Xaba, de Wet, Vorster, Gans.
Ospreys: Walsh; Kasende, P Cokanasiga, K Williams, Giles; Edwards; Morgan-Williams; G Phillips, Lake (capt), T Botha, R Davies, Fender, Moriarty, Deaves, Morse.
Replacements: E Lewis, S Thomas, R Henry, Sutton, Ratti, L Davies, Florence, Houston.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: JD Jadezweni (South Africa), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Peter Martin (Ireland).
Category: General Sports
