Sergeal Petersen gave a well timed reminder of his skill in his first begin since January to assist the Vodacom Bulls safe a spot within the URC’s grand ultimate.
Petersen scored two second-half tries – together with the winner within the 67th minute – because the Vodacom Bulls surprised a star-studded Leinster within the semi-final conflict at Loftus Versfeld.
VURC FINALS WEEK 😏💙🥹
🎟️TICKETS: https://t.co/bNu1SuWXS9 #FillUpLoftus FOR SOUTH AFRICA 🇿🇦 @Vodacom #URC pic.twitter.com/hoPTMi9b9t
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 17, 2024
The 29-year-old joined the Bulls after a stint in Japan, however made simply seven begins earlier than the semi-finals, together with his earlier begin coming in January in opposition to the Lions.
Petersen was referred to as off the bench within the first half of the quarter-final in opposition to Benetton, after Kurt-Lee Arendse went off with a fractured cheekbone, becoming a member of Canan Moodie on the sidelines.
“Once I signed my contract on the Bulls, Canan and Kurt-Lee had been the [number one] wings, and each time the group calls on me or wants me, I’ll need to be prepared,” Petersen mentioned. “I’ve been doing numerous work exterior of the Bulls’ atmosphere simply to remain match and mentally sharp.
“[The quarter-final] was my first sport in 14 weeks. I obtained [51] minutes and I used to be blown.
“James Lowe is a world-class participant and to play in opposition to somebody like that, in a sport like that, you’ve obtained to again your self.
“I’m fairly assured in my skill and I’ll again myself in opposition to anybody, if I had been to be so daring. It was a pleasant problem for me to see the place I’m when it comes to enjoying in opposition to gamers of that calibre.”
“He’s a licensed Luke Skywalker” ✨
The drive is with Sergeal Petersen as he scores one other out-of-this-world strive 🤩#BKTURC #URC #BULvLEI pic.twitter.com/WgjtCOGQmm
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 15, 2024
Touted as a prodigious expertise when he scored a brace of tries on his skilled debut with the Southern Kings, Petersen is into his eleventh yr within the prime flight and his expertise will likely be key when the Bulls host Glasgow Warriors within the ultimate on Saturday.
Having tasted URC glory with the Stormers – satirically in opposition to the Bulls – in 2022, Petersen might change into the primary participant to win the up to date model of the event with two completely different groups.
“The job’s not achieved, we’ve obtained yet another week. We’ve obtained a giant one subsequent week, hopefully we will recover from that hurdle,” he mentioned.
“You may’t change an excessive amount of of what you’ve constructed on all through the marketing campaign. There’s a cause why we’re the place we’re in the intervening time. However like I mentioned fundamentals are going to be necessary, so we should keep on with the fundamentals since you don’t want 4 tries to win, you simply want one level.”
Picture: Gordon Arons/Gallo Photos