Written by Shihaam IsaacsSouth Africa sports betting writer
Published 26 October 2026
The Vodacom Bulls survived a spirited second-half resurgence from Irish visitors Ulster to claim a hard-fought 34-26 United Rugby Championship victory at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The home side set a blistering tempo early on. The Pretoria outfit crossed the whitewash three times during a commanding opening 40 minutes, establishing a 21-7 cushion by the half-time interval and placing Ulster under immense pressure.
However, the Belfast-based side mounted a determined comeback in the second stanza and steadily chipped away at the deficit. The pressure intensified when captain Marcell Coetzee was sent to the sin-bin with a yellow card, testing the Bulls’ defensive mettle on their home patch.
Despite the disruption, the Bulls held firm during crucial periods. A timely second-half try from hooker Johan Grobbelaar provided vital breathing room before the hosts managed the closing exchanges to close out the win.
The victory was tempered by injuries to Sango Xamlashe and fly-half Handré Pollard, with the medical staff set to assess Pollard’s hamstring injury ahead of the Bulls’ upcoming fixtures.
