Bristol v Bulls: Five takeaways as visitors bash the Bears without ...

Following the Bulls’ 17-31 victory over the Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate in the Champions Cup on Saturday, here are our five takeaways.

It was a memorable day for the Bulls as they secured their first away win in the Champions Cup this season with a performance built on their traditional strengths.

The South African side’s scrum dominated throughout the game, and while their lineout had its hiccups, they dominated the collisions and took their chances when they came.

With many of their Springboks rested, the likes of Sergeal Petersen, Devon Williams, Elrigh Louw, Marcell Coetzee, Celimpilo Gumede and Reinhard Ludwig were among those to rise to the occasion and blow the Bears off the park.

Petersen, Khutha Mchunu, Louw, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels all crossed the whitewash as the largely second-string Pretoria-based outfit beat a far more settled Bristol Bears matchday 23.

The win sets the Bulls up nicely to progress to the last 16 of the competition, while the Bears will need a favour or two next week, or else they will be dropping down to the Challenge Cup.

It was a morale-boosting win for the Bulls, while the opposite can be said for the host, who seemed to be trending in the right direction before being bashed by the South Africans.

Jake White may well feel aggrieved that he is unable to play all his stars and Springboks week in and week out, but perhaps he needs to respect his depth a bit more.

Last season, the Bulls’ depth needed to be deeper, and they have addressed that issue this season, and it is paying dividends. Sergeal Petersen had a fine game on the wing in the absence of the Springbok flyers, as did Sebastian de Klerk, while Devon Williams continues to take every opportunity he is given with both hands.

Even when Wilco Louw was forced off injured, Khutha Mchunu rose to the occasion and produced a tidy shift.

There are still some teething issues, such as the core roles of hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels – who scored a superb intercept try- but there were certainly some standout performances from those who will be keenest to get more regular time in the starting XV.

The Bears are certainly not the finest Premiership outfit, but they are the kind of side that can quickly rack a mammoth scoreline against a team that is not on top of their game.

When the Bulls are back to full complements, having many of the standouts today pressing the regular starters for a role will only boost the Bulls chances and better prepare them for potential injuries.

Well, it was a pleasant evening for the Bulls front row but not as much for the Bristol Bears, and this time, it was not all to do with South African dominance.

While the Bulls did have the upper hand on multiple scrums throughout the game, one cannot help but feel for the Bears, whom French referee Matthieu Raynal did not reward.

Max Lahiff visited the sin bin for perceived struggles in the front row, and on more than one occasion, he can feel particularly disgruntled, particularly the last call that resulted in the yellow card.

It was not just at scrum time that Raynal was below his usually high standard as he inexplicably ruled out a Bulls try in the first half and then awarded an even more puzzling one on the final whistle.

While we feel that the Bears did not get the rub of the green at scrum time, that does not excuse an under-par performance overall.

Pat Lam’s charges looked to have turned a corner in December with a run of good results, which included wins over Gloucester, Lyon, Newcastle and a hard-fought loss to Exeter Chiefs.

They then went on to defeat the high-flying Sale Sharks, but today, the soft underbelly was on full display as they were sloppy, wasteful and underwhelming, with largely their first-choice team on the pitch.

The Bulls bullied the Bears on the gain line, and while the hosts initially held on, once the visitors gained the ascendancy, they racked up an unassailable lead.

Magnus Badbury’s late try cut the deficit and made the scoreline look a bit more respectable, but in reality, the game was gone by that stage, and the young Bulls outfit let complacency sneak in.

White spoke with brutal honesty when questioned about being without his star Springboks for the clash, which may have lit a fire under the belly of the ones in his starting lineup and those who hope to force Rassie Erasmus’ hand.

Elrigh Louw was superb again for the side, continuing to press his claim for a role on the side of the scrum for the Boks, and he was not alone in his efforts as fellow back rowers Marcell Coetzee and Gumede impressed.

Erasmus highlighted the need for the Springboks to add depth in the lock and hooker roles, and the Bulls have two youngsters who could well be donning the Green and Gold in the near future. Ludwig is producing the kind of under-the-radar performances that the Boks favour, while Wessels is impressing around the park but really needs to improve his lineout throws.

Then there is the performance of loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp who continues to improve since he received a call up to the Test squad last year.

However, there was one standout blight in the Bulls game, with Wilco Louw leaving the pitch injured. White explained that the tighthead had an ACL injury and was asked to fight through the pain before eventually being removed. Louw is bound to be in the mix for the Boks, but his injury will be a hammer blow for the Bulls upfront in the coming weeks if he is sidelined.

The Bulls return to Pretoria next week, where a team largely similar to this is likely to tackle Bordeaux Begles, while Bristol are off to Lam’s old stomping ground as they tackle Connacht.

READ MORE: Jake White admits to undermining Champions Cup but blames Springboks