Saracens 27 Bulls 5

When the Bulls head coach Jake White was asked about the swirling gale his side had faced against Saracens, he replied he had never seen anything like it in 42 years of coaching, before adding that playing into the wind first was similar to losing the toss in a cricket match.

“We didn’t want to bat last on a pitch that was going to turn,” White added. Well, to continue that analogy, the Bulls failed to put enough runs on the board before half-time and in fact were behind 8-5 at the break before Saracens, with Storm Darragh, behind them swept to a bonus-point victory in the second half.

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall added that he had never seen conditions like it in the Premiership or Europe and never at the StoneX. “I think I played one day in Galway way, way back which might have been worse,” he added with a smile.

This was a win built upon excellent performances up front from Maro Itoje and Nick Isiekwe but especially Tom Willis, the No 8 on the fringes of England selection who played for England ‘A’ during the autumn. Willis was excellent in all areas here, taking the game to the Bulls with carries over the gain line, a vital turnover in defence and several rib-tickling tackles all before his try in the second half.

Up against a pack containing four Springboks, he shone. “Europe has often been the gauge of whether someone is able to step up to international rugby and Tom was outstanding against a really good Bulls team,” McCall said.

This was the bounce-back win Saracens needed after a first loss to Newcastle in 16 years last week, while the Bulls had been flying in the United Rugby Championship following five wins from six.

Playing into the wind, it took eight minutes Saracens even to get out of their half following kick-off, while the visitors’ scrum looked ominous early on. A stunner of a pass by Willie le Roux, the great Springbok finding an unmarked Sebastien de Klerk, led to the game’s first try. The odds of landing successful touchline conversions in this wind had to be as long as winning the Euromillions, but the space was available out wide after the Bulls pack battered the line.

Such was the strength of the wind that Fergus Burke then missed the kind of penalty from 10 metres he would normally knock over with his eyes closed, hitting the left-hand post. The pack had more luck, Rhys Carre finishing off a barrage of pick-and-go drives to level things up at 5-5. On reflection, Carre’s try even that early in the match was the pivotal moment.

On more than one occasion a Saracens penalty to touch ended up going backwards, and they eventually resorted to tapped penalties even in their own half – with the loudest cheer saved for when Burke slotted a third close-range attempt with a penalty to lead 8-5 at the break.

Two yellow cards in two minutes then torpedoed the Bulls’ chances at the start of the second half – for head-on-head contact by Jannes Kirsten, once of Exeter, and against De Klerk for not rolling away – which set Saracens up for a maul try through the England captain Jamie George. A 10-point lead, following Burke’s conversion, felt like double that amount given the Bulls were effectively playing uphill.

Theo McFarland was one Saracens forward who could actually match the Bulls’ size and his excellent charge-down at a ruck had the hosts back on the attack, Eroni Mawi coming up narrowly short before Willis powered over. His final stat sheet – 16 carries, 24 tackles, two turnovers – was eye-catching.

Ben Earl was a handy bench option for Saracens and he came up with an astonishing finish in a tight corner to secure the bonus point with 15 minutes left. The Bulls largely wasted having the wind, whereas Saracens were clinical. This performance deserves plenty of credit.

McCall added: “It felt like the old days at times, just watching us get off the line and knock people down. It’s quite a big step forward for this new group.”

Match details

Scoring sequence: 0-5 De Klerk try, 5-5 Carre try, 8-5 Burke pen, 13-5 George try, 15-5 Burke con, 20-5 Willis try, 22-5 Willis con, 27-5 Earl try
Saracens: E Daly; T Elliott (T Parton 68), L Cinti, N Tompkins, R Segun; F Burke (T Eden 75), I van Zyl (G Simpson 67); R Carre (E Mawi 54), J George (T Dan 64), M Riccioni (A Clarey 64), M Itoje (capt), N Isiekwe (H Wilson 74), T McFarland, J Gonzalez (B Earl 53), T Willis.
Bulls: W le Roux (A Dyantyi 62); S De Klerk, C Moodie, D Kriel, D Williams; J Goosen, E Papier (K Johannes 66); G Steenekamp (A Tshakweni 62), J Grobbelaar (capt, A van der Merwe 50), F Klopper (M Smith 50), R Vermaak, J Van Heerden, M Van Staden (H Vorster 62), C Wiese (J Kirsten 33, M Coetzee 56), C Hanekom.
Yellow cards: Kirsten 46, De Klerk 48
Referee: C Evans (Wal)
Attendance: 9,035