Springboks stars were given a rest ahead of the United Rugby Championship clash, but the Bulls suffered a disappointing 27-22 loss to Munster in Pretoria. The decision to leave 11 internationals at home for the Champions Cup quarter-final against Northampton Saints backfired as the Bulls struggled against a well-organized Munster defense.
Despite Johan Grobbelaar putting the Bulls ahead 22-17, Munster fought back with Shane Daly and RG Snyman scoring in the first half. John Hodnett leveled the match before Conor Murray sealed the win for Munster with a late try.
One of the game’s key moments was Johan Goosen’s red card following head-on-head contact with Munster’s Craig Casey. Referee Adam Jones made the tough call, leaving the Bulls with a player short.
Both Munster’s Jack Crowley and the Bulls’ Goosen were standout players in the closely contested match, but it was Munster who ultimately came out on top. The Bulls dominated possession early on but struggled to break through Munster’s defense, which proved to be well-drilled and resilient.
The decision to rest key players for the Champions Cup match in favor of the URC clash did not pay off for the Bulls this time. They will need to regroup and learn from this loss as they look ahead to their next challenge in the United Rugby Championship.
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