Edinburgh Triumphs Over Bulls To Clinch Home Rugby Semi-Final

For the first time in decades, Edinburgh Rugby has reached a European semi-final after overcoming a tough second-half comeback from the Vodacom Bulls to secure a 34-28 win at Hive Stadium in the EPCR Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

The hosts powered through to a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime, maximizing the Bulls’ indiscipline early on. James Lang crossed over to get two tries for Edinburgh and luckily, a rebound off a defender earned him his second try. Magnus Bradbury took advantage of the moment when Bulls scrum-half Zak Burger was presented with a yellow card.

Ross Thompson flawlessly added three conversions and a penalty to stretch the advantage. Shortly after the break, Edinburgh’s co-captain Grant Gilchrist, scored extending their lead to 31-7.

However, the Bulls also came back with a fightback, a penalty try from Ross McCann shifted the momentum. Cameron Hanekom and David Kriel added tries on top of the scores in the first half, narrowing the gap to six points.

Despite the overwhelming pressure from the Bulls in the final stages, Edinburgh held firmly with tactical defensive plays. A crucial turnover by Pierre Schoeman sealed the win for Edinburgh.

Head coach Sean Everitt acknowledged the late challenge presented by the Bulls, referring to them as a “dangerous team” with the power they have up front. He commended his team’s resilience in the final moments on keeping the Bulls out at the end as he recognized Pierre Schoeman’s role in the win.

Following the win, Edinburgh will host Gloucester or Bath in the semi-final on the weekend of May 2-4 at Hive Stadium, where they will hunt for a place in the final cup.

With the win, Edinburgh will now host either Gloucester or Bath in the semi-final on the weekend of May 2–4 at Hive Stadium, where they’ll look to continue their charge toward the final.

Caption (The hosts powered through to a commanding 24-7 lead at halftime, maximizing the Bulls’ indiscipline early on)