URC: Bulls thrash Dragons on emotional day at Loftus to secure second place

The victory ensures the Pretoria outfit finish second on the log and will now host a quarter-final - and potentially a semi-final - at home.

A pre-match tribute to the late Cornal Hendricks, who passed away earlier in the week, set an emotional tone, with fullback Willie le Roux visibly moved. But once the whistle blew, the Bulls were all business, tearing into a Dragons side that looked overwhelmed for most of the contest.

The Bulls flew out of the blocks with three tries inside the opening 25 minutes. David Kriel opened the scoring from a superb set-piece move, followed by a powerful angled run from Cobus Wiese to make it 12-0. Sebastian de Klerk then dotted down after sharp interplay, with Keagan Johannes converting two of the three early scores.

The Dragons' discipline deserted them as they conceded penalty after penalty, allowing the Bulls to control territory and possession. Akker van der Merwe rumbled over from a driving maul on the stroke of half-time to secure the bonus point as Johannes added the extras for a commanding 26-0 halftime lead.

The visitors showed flickers of life early in the second half. Huw Anderson finished a well-worked team move, and Rhodri Williams followed it up with a moment of individual brilliance, chipping over the defence and regathering for a stunning solo try. But poor goal-kicking let the Dragons down, with both conversion attempts missed.

Just when it looked like the Dragons might claw their way back, the Bulls responded with ruthless efficiency.

Van der Merwe bagged his second try of the game with another maul effort before Sergeal Petersen crossed twice in quick succession - both times thanks to slick buildup play, including a skip pass from Johannes and a clever short-side snipe from Bernard van der Linde.

A breathtaking team try saw Marcell Coetzee score under the posts after several offloads, and Devon Williams added to the tally with a sharp step and finish.

Though the Dragons scored another late consolation try through Lewis Morgan, it did little to mask the one-sided nature of the affair.

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