The Bulls began their maiden Champions Cup campaign with a hard-fought 42-36 bonus-point win over stubborn French side Lyon but they made heavy weather of this match which could have been comfortably won.
Nizaam Carr turned finisher as he crashed over the line to give the Bulls a bonus point inside 30 minutes but the visitors responded with two tries of their own before the break.
Their first try was scored by former Bulls player Arno Botha following a maul and Liam Coltman crossed over after a good driving line-out as they closed the gap to 16 points at the break. The second half got off to a flying start with two tries in quick succession from centre Stravino Jacobs for the hosts and the visitors replying through the effort of winger Ethan Dumortier.
There were further tries by Botha and a penalty by Berdeu while the home side stayed ahead in the game through Chris Smith but the action was not over. This ding-dong battle produced another late try by Lyon’s flanker Kyle Godwin to reduce the deficit to only six points but the Bulls held on for an important win at home against strong opposition.
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