- Bulls director of rugby Jake White was effusive in his praise of his fullback Kurt-Lee Arendse.
- The nippy outside back scored two tries, one of them starting from his own half as the Bulls crushed the Dragons 55-20 on Saturday.
- The Bulls have now put 50 on two Welsh teams, but have the formidable prospect of Ulster to come next week.
Bulls director of rugby Jake White showered praise on elusive outside back Kurt-Lee Arendse in the aftermath of their 55-20 demolition of the Dragons at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The 25-year-old scored a regulation try in the first half, but it was a mesmeric effort in the second half that was the pick of the eight the Bulls scored.
RESULT | United Rugby Championship: Bulls v Dragons
In fielding an up-and-under in his own half, Arendse then beat all the close defenders for pace and stepped Dragons fullback Jordan Williams inside out before dotting down in the corner.
White was chuffed with Arendse’s attacking game, but it’s the defensive nous that’s standing out for the 2007 Rugby World Cup winning coach.
“It’s phenomenal to have a fullback like that and good sides have had good fullbacks like him,” White said.
“Jason Robinson, who played for England, could play like that. There also was a moment where he kicked the ball nearly 60 metres, so it’s not just about his running with the ball.
“I thought when he tried to pick the ball up, if he’d kicked the ball, he probably would have gone on and scored again.
“It’s lovely to have him here and he compliments what we have here.”
The success over the Dragons was the Bulls’ third consecutive win at home and their seventh overall this season.
Having put 50 over the Cardiff Blues and the Dragons, the Welsh sides will be happy to see the back of Pretoria and the inhospitable Sunnyside-based stadium.
With the Stormers escaping with a win against Ulster while the Sharks fluffed their lines against Edinburgh, the Bulls ensured a decent weekend was had by the SA teams.
White was pleased with how his charges looked after themselves in both games.
“One of the nice things is that last week, we played really well and this week, we scored another 50 points,” White said.
“You’ve got to be proud of that and the way we’re playing is also nice. There’s some good interplay between backs and forwards.
“It’s a tough competition as we saw the Sharks lose and Ulster were unlucky. We just need to take as many wins as we can.”