8-try Bulls run riot against hapless Dragons

The Bulls were on the cusp of a turkey shoot and it eventually was when they crushed the Dragons 55-20 in their United Rugby Championship encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.

The Welsh side could have and should have been encouraged by Friday night's rain that affected the playing surface and levelled out the playing field.

Instead, the home side was in no mood to be upstaged like the Sharks were by Edinburgh in the earlier game in Durban and scored four first-half tries to lead 31-8 at the interval.

They added a further four tries in the second stanza to ensure the mistakes they made that allowed the Dragons to score three tries were butterfly effects that didn't lead to a tropical storm.

The Bulls had soft moments that allowed the visitors to get themselves some respect, but also cleaned up their act when the Dragons threatened to get themselves back into the game.

The win was the Bulls' seventh of the season and their fourth on the trot that allowed them to replace the Sharks in seventh spot on the log.

RESULT | United Rugby Championship: Bulls v Dragons

It should have been a blemish-free finish to a first-half the Bulls dominated, save for a bad defensive read by Chris Smith that allowed Dragons left wing Rio Dyer to saunter over near the posts on the stroke of half-time.

Inexplicably, Dragons flyhalf Sam Davies missed the easy conversion, an act that summed up a forgettable first stanza for the visitors.

The Bulls ran in four contrasting, but evenly effective tries that showcased their physicality and how well they wanted to use it.

United Rugby Championship Log

Arno Botha was the first Bulls player who crossed the line in the fourth minute, but they needed to wait a further 22 minutes for a second try through