Cardiff suffered their third defeat in four in the Rugby United Championship and rued the missed opportunities against the Bulls at the Arms Park.

The South African team took the lead in the first half thanks to quick shots from Papier Ambrose and Sebastien de Klerk. And despite goals from Mason Grady and Ray Lee-Lo, Cardiff were unable to turn Jake White’s side around as late chances came and went.

It was another frustrating night for Matt Sherratt’s side, who have so far achieved just one victory over the Dragons in the URC campaign. Warren Gatland was in attendance, along with several Welsh Six Nations hopefuls, with Cameron Hanekom breaking through the Bulls’ skilful Welsh backline and showing some fine touches after being introduced at half-time.

Cardiff may have won in the opening minutes, although they were unable to cope with a long series of phases after the break from centurion Willis Halaholo. The Bulls took the lead with a stunning counter-attack in their own half after De Beer missed a touch. After offloading the ball to outside center Hans Stedman, he placed the ball inside Harry Millard before collecting his midfield partner David Creel.

His chip found Ambrose, who was playing in a scrum and raced in for the first points in the 11th minute. Things got worse a few minutes later when de Beer tried to block Halaholo’s pass from the line of scrimmage to the ground. However, his move off the block only found De Klerk, who raced in to score the Bulls’ second goal.

The blue and black counter-attacked and Grady was ready to finish after Halaholo’s clever pass from behind put De Beer on the Bull’s outside edge, close to his line. That would be it for first half results as Cardiff’s management let them down at times whilst the Arms Park team did well to repel the Bulls’ header before the break.

The Bulls opened the second half with a Chris Smith penalty. However, they were soon reduced to 14 after Creel was penalized for a deliberate tackle as Cardiff attacked from distance. Cardiff took advantage seconds later when Li-Lo raced to score under the posts after catching the Bulls defense napping at the base of the ruck.

Cardiff almost took the lead after an excellent counter-attack from Millard (the cross was a constant threat all night as he filled in on the flank), but his off-balance pass went forward as Tomos Williams held on.

Other chances came and went, and a failed attempt almost led to another interception for De Klerk. Grady managed to chase him down this time, but Cardiff were still feeling the collapse, allowing Smith to extend his lead just after the hour.

Cardiff continued to apply heavy pressure after the clock turned red, with Rhys Carré’s penalty giving the team one last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. However, the ball ricocheted, leaving the home fans disappointed.