Bulls wrecking ball Wessels won't try fullback in quarter-final

THE Bulls were far from home and dry early in the second half against Bayonne in last weekend's Challenge Cup playoff.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

Jake White's team needed to get a score after halftime to take the game away from their French hosts, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels decided to do something about that.

Channelling his inner Warrick Gelant, the 23-year-old Bulls front-rower raced up to pick up a grubber from Bayonne just before his own 10-metre line and then beautiful chaos ensued.

Wessels first threw a dummy pass to flyhalf Keagan Johannes while facing his own tryline. Then he proceeded to do his own version of a three-point turn, in really impressive fashion for the 1.90m, 120kg human wrecking ball.

But instead of charging straight into the nearest Bayonne defender - like any self-respecting prop or hooker would do Wessels did the unthinkable.

The Grey College product attacked space on the left, with the ball in two hands, and made it beyond the halfway line before being tackled.

But the show wasn't over, as the three-Test Springbok produced a stunning back-handed offload to a flying Stravino Jacobs, who put in a kick that saw the ball ricochet off him and another Bayonne player before David Kriel picked it up and dummied to score a terrific try.