United Rugby Championship: Bulls 43-26 Ospreys - visitors' fightback earns bonus point

A second-half fightback saw Ospreys take a consolation bonus point in defeat against high-flying Bulls.

Prop Rhys Henry dived over from close range to ensure Ospreys did not leave Loftus Versfeld empty handed.

Jack Walsh and centre pair Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler and Keiran Williams had all crossed earlier.

But the damage had been done in the first half when Bulls bulldozed Ospreys with five tries before crucial late scores secured a home win.

How Ospreys head coach Toby Booth assesses this game will depend on whether he views the glass as half empty or half full.

A side shorn of 12 players who were with the Wales squad facing Australia showed glimpses of creativity and resolve.

But they were overpowered in the first half and were punished for any sloppy play.

The game was delayed by half an hour due to a thunderstorm in Pretoria and when it did kick off, Ospreys were on the back foot from the moment wing David Kriel scored from a set-piece move after seven minutes.

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It was nothing spectacular, but then the Bulls did not need to be when they had such impact.

Luke Morgan will not want to see a replay of how he was beaten on the outside by flanker Nizaam Carr for the Bulls' second.

And by the time WJ Steenkamp dived over unopposed, Ospreys were trailing 17-0 after just 21 minutes.

There were some positives for Ospreys. Ethan Roots was tenacious with and without the ball, Williams did well at the breakdown and his pass, after great footwork from Morgan, put Walsh over for their first try.

Walsh, guilty of some wayward kicking, then saved a try by holding up Wandisile Simelane over the line but Ospreys' inefficiency at the breakdown allowed Bulls to snatch possession and Kriel scored a second.

Bradley Davies, on his first appearance of the season, was involved in the heavy lifting that ended with Walsh poking through a kick for Thomas-Wheeler to score his first try of the campaign.

The conversion cut the deficit to a respectable 24-14 and offered a glimmer of hope for the visitors. But while Ospreys had to work hard for every inch, the Bulls were presented with gifts.

Ospreys failed to deal with the restart and number eight Elrigh Louw finished under the posts for a 31-14 half-time lead.

Missed opportunities

Ospreys had their chances after the break.

Thomas-Wheeler inexplicably looked to pass with the try line at his mercy after Keelan Giles' break. Morgan Morris and Roots were stopped just short from close range before Williams scored through sheer tenacity.

Walsh missed the conversion and went close to scoring a second try with the game far more in the balance than the 31-19 scoreline suggested.

However Bulls got the crucial next score, through captain Ruan Nortje, and once Henry went over following Sam Parry's drive, the feeling was the job was done.

Zak Burger dived over late on, meaning the wait for a second Ospreys win of the season goes on.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth:

"We wanted to make sure we didn't go quietly and that what the boys did. They stuck in the fight, never gave up and got the bonus point. To score four tries in South Africa is not easy.

"In the first half we gave things away too cheaply with missed tackles from first phase, which was frustrating. But the lads reacted well and the longer the game went, the better we looked.

"Yes we would have liked to have taken another losing bonus, but the behaviours we showed to stay in the game after the first half were really important. You have to celebrate those small wins."

Bulls: Wandisile Simelane; David Kriel, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs; Chris Smith, Embrose Papier; Gerhard Steenekamp, Bismarck du Plessis, Francois Klopper, Janko Swanepoel, Ruan Nortje (capt), Nizaam Carr, WJ Steenkamp, Elrigh Louw.

Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Ruan Vermaak, Cyle Brink, Zak Burger, Morne Steyn, Marco Jansen von Vuren.

Ospreys: Max Nagy; Luke Morgan, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Jack Walsh, Rhys Webb (capt); Garyn Phillips, Scott Baldwin, Tom Botha, Bradley Davies, Huw Sutton, Ethan Roots, Will Hickey, Morgan Morris.

Replacements: Sam Parry, Rhys Henry, Ben Warren, James Fender, Jack Regan, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Luke Scully, Cai Evans.

Referee: Ben Blain (SRU)

Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni & Griffin Colby (SARU)

TMO: Sam Grove-White (SRU)