Johan Ackermann’s Bulls gore fast-starting Ospreys

Ospreys let a half-time advantage slip as they opened their United Rugby Championship campaign with a 53-40 defeat against Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

The visitors led through Keelan Giles after just 108 seconds before they doubled their advantage when Keiran Williams crossed four minutes later.

The Bulls struck back with captain Marcell Coetzee scoring after seven and 20 minutes to level the scores before Devon Williams was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on and Jack Walsh landed Ospreys’ third try.

Williams then added his second, and his side’s fourth. Johan Grobbelaar scored prior to the interval with the Welsh side 26-19 to the good at half-time.

However, the match swung in the hosts’ favour in the second half with Grobbelaar powering over again and Cheswill Jooste racing through to put the Bulls clear. With James Fender sin-binned, Grobbelaar completed his hat-trick, before Jan Serfontein scored for the Bulls.

Morgan Morse provided Ospreys hope but further tries from Juann Else and Jooste extended the home side’s advantage, with Giles’ second try of the night in the closing stages nothing more than a consolation.