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Bulls leave Connacht with maximum points after red card frenzy
By PA
Connacht were left to rue Sean Jansen’s 21st-minute red card as they fell to a 28-14 defeat to the Vodacom Bulls in their BKT United Rugby Championship clash at Dexcom Stadium.
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The returning Johan Goosen converted tries from Sebastian de Klerk and Embrose Papier to establish a 14-0 half-time lead, with Connacht stung by Jansen’s dismissal.
Further scores from David Kriel and Canan Moodie saw the third-placed South Africans win for only the second time in eight URC visits to Ireland.
They also finished the game with 14 men – number eight Mpilo Gumede was sent off for an off-the-ball incident – before Connacht replacements David Hawkshaw and Caolin Blade both touched down to cut the gap.
Bulls winger De Klerk swiftly opened the scoring in the left corner, the beneficiary of player-of-the-match Papier’s smart break off a maul.
In a key moment midway through the half Jansen was singled out by the match officials, receiving a red for a direct elbow to the head in a tackle on Marcell Coetzee.
Shortly before the interval a Cameron Hanekom turnover set up Moodie to kick in-field and pacy scrum-half Papier was first to the ball to score.
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The hosts fell further behind soon after the restart.
A dummying Kriel darted over from the left wing, with Goosen nailing the tricky conversion.
Springbok flyer Moodie bagged a 54th-minute bonus point for the Bulls, racing clear after intercepting a Jack Carty pass.
However, the numbers were evened up when Gumede was guilty of having his fingers near the eye area of Hawkshaw in an attempted push.
Wind-backed Connacht did at least have the better of the final quarter.
Hawkshaw powered in under the posts and Blade turned a Shane Jennings break into a 74th-minute score which Cathal Forde also converted.
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