Cardiff were unable to reproduce last week's South African heroics as the Bulls wore them down in a six-try victory at Loftus Verfeld Stadium.
Dai Young's side went into the match on the back of a mightily impressive 35-0 victory over the Sharks in Durban, but the Bulls proved a different challenge in Pretoria as they weathered a decent start from the Arms Park side and ultimately drained the energy from the Welsh outfit.
In particular, the Bulls South African internationals Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse were to the fore once the home side found their attacking groove.
After last week's remarkable victory, Cardiff would undoubtedly have come into this one with confidence. However, they'd have known a Bulls team flying high in the league boosted by the return of some Springbok stars posed a considerable challenge compared to last week.