Neither side seemed particularly impressed by performance of URC novice match official

Johan Ackermann could afford to smile when he said it because his team had won, but the Bulls coach confirmed he would seek clarity in the coming week on several refereeing decisions in Saturday’s 34-26 Rugby Championship (URC) win over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld.

Scottish referee Ru Campbell was the official in charge for just the fifth time at URC level and it is fair to say neither the Bulls nor Ulster were particularly impressed by his performance. Leading 21-7 at halftime, the Bulls nearly came unstuck in the second half as they were punished with a string of penalties and yellow card for captain Marcell Coetzee.

“We were not clinical for 80 minutes and Ulster showed a lot of fight but there’s a lot of clarity we need from the referee’s side,” Ackermann said after his team hung on to a five-point lead until the final hooter, with Curwin Bosch kicking a late penalty to deny the northern Irish side a well-deserved bonus point.

“There were big moments where there seemed to be a lot of grey areas. I don’t know how many URC games he has done, but maybe it was just the occasion. If we had lost, then it would have been something we would have had to really make an issue of, some clear and obvious things for us.

“Two or three times we were penalised at the breakdown, in the scrums we were hardly rewarded for our dominance and there was one time Elrigh Louw was penalised for a clean that was technically perfect. There was also the question of blocking at the lineout; all we ask for is consistency.”

Coetzee said at least half-an-hour after the game he still did not know what his yellow card was for.

“The referee was far away from me when he gave me the card, I wanted clarity but he just showed me the card,” Coetzee said.

There were six Bulls players involved in the Springboks’ last Test, the disappointing loss to Australia in Perth, and Ackermann expects to still be able to choose from them for the coming weekend’s match against Scarlets. After that, there is a five-week break in URC action before the Bulls’ big local derby against the Lions at Ellis Park.

Flyhalf Handré Pollard, who had a fine game, is possibly an exception for the Scarlets match as he injured his hamstring late in the game.

“It was the first game where we really suffered some casualties, but the positive is a few of them are just head knocks, nothing long-term. Handré has done a hamstring and time will tell how long he’ll be out. Canan Moodie is on his return-to-play protocol for concussion, and because of his past we are taking it easy with him,” Ackermann said.