Bulls’ poor discipline proves costly

The Bulls’ discipline and decision-making let them down against the Waratahs in Sydney, according to SARugbymag.co.za's Opta-powered stats.

In a disappointing end to the Bulls’ Australian tour, they meekly succumbed to a 31-8 loss on Saturday, which followed on the back of last weekend’s loss to the Brumbies.

The Bulls produced the odd encouraging moment in the first half against the Tahs, beating 10 defenders and making four clean breaks, but their decision-making was poor as they failed to take the right option at key moments. In the end, they only had three points to show for their first-half efforts.

A high penalty count – the Bulls conceded nine penalties in the opening period and 13 overall – also disrupted their momentum and allowed the Aussie side to take control of proceedings. By contrast, the Tahs only conceded six penalties in the match, and only one in the final hour.

In the end, the Waratahs' dominance was illustrated by their tally of four tries to one, while they made 555 running metres to 374, completed 125 carries to 96 and enjoyed 57% of the possession.

See how your favourite player fared in this match

Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

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