Bulls up to third in URC after beating Connacht

The Bulls punished Sean Jansen's 21st-minute red card as they clinched victory in Galway

United Rugby Championship

Connacht (0) 14

Tries: Hawkshaw, Blade Cons: Forde 2

Bulls (14) 28

Tries: De Klerk, Papier, Kriel, Moodie Cons: Goosen

The Bulls moved up to third place in the United Rugby Championship by earning a 28-14 bonus-point win over Connacht in Galway.

First-half scores from Sebastian De Klerk and Embrose Papier - either side of a red card for Connacht number eight Sean Jansen - put the visitors in control at half-time as they led 14-0.

Jansen was sent from the field for a dangerous tackle in the 21st minute as his elbow collided with former Ulster man Marcell Coetzee.

David Kriel and Canan Moodie scored further Bulls tries early in the second half before they lost Gumede Celimpilo to a red card for eye gouging.

Connacht scored two tries thereafter through David Hawkshaw and Caolan Blade but it was little consolation for the Irish side.

Embrose Papier and David Kriel were both among the Bulls try-scorers in Galway

Showing scant regard for their 12-hour flight to Ireland during the week, it was the Bulls who started the brighter as De Klerk dived over in the corner following scrum-half Papier's burst, with the earlier decision to kick for the corner totally vindicated.

After Johannes Goosen kicked the extras from a tight angle, Connacht struggled to get a foothold into the game and they then found themselves down to 14 men when Jansen was red carded.

The South African side huffed and puffed as the rain poured down in Galway but they had to wait until four minutes before the break before they could make their man advantage pay.

Moodie played a clever chip over the Connacht defence down the right wing, and it was Papier who won the chase to the ball, scooping up and touching down under the posts to allow the simplest of conversions for Goosen.

The second period got off to the worst possible start for the home side when they conceded a sloppy try to Kriel within 90 seconds of the restart.

The big centre charged down the left flank before throwing a dummy pass inside that was bought by home full-back Shane Jennings, allowing the number 13 to race home unopposed from 25 metres, with Goosen again adding the extras from the tee.

South Africa international Moodie capitalised on a poor pass from home number 10 Jack Carty on 55 minutes to race home from all of 60 metres to notch the bonus-point securing touchdown, with the conversion again slotted by the fly-half.

Playing numbers were levelled up on 58 minutes when Bulls number eight Celimpilo saw red for a obvious eye gouge on substitute Hawkshaw.

Hawkshaw popped up with a try of his own four minutes later, when he charged over from close range while home replacement scrum-half Blade also crossed the line five minutes from time as Cathal Forde added his second conversion.

Connacht: Shane Jennings; Shayne Bolton, Piers O’Conor, Cathal Forde, Santiago Cordero; Jack Carty, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Jack Aungier; Joe Joyce (capt), Niall Murray; Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Sean Jansen

Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Paul Boyle, Caolin Blade, David Hawkshaw, Shamus Hurley-Langton.

Bulls: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian De Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Alulutho Tshakweni, Akker van der Merwe, Francois Klopper; Ruan Vermaak, JF van Heerden; Marcell Coetzee (capt), Cobus Wiese, Mpilo Gumede

Replacements: Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smit, Jannes Kirsten, Cameron Hanekom, Keagan Johannes, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Stedman Gans.