Edinburgh triumph over Bulls 34–28 to secure home semi-final

Edinburgh 34-28 Bulls, Hive Stadium

Edinburgh Rugby held their nerve in a high-octane quarter-final to defeat the Vodacom Bulls 34–28, securing a prized home semi-final in the 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup.

Backed by a lively Hive Stadium crowd, the Scottish outfit stormed to a dominant first-half lead and withstood a spirited second-half fightback to claim a crucial knockout win.

Edinburgh stamped their authority early in the contest, with centre James Lang finishing a well-worked move initiated by Matt Currie and scrum-half Ben Vellacott. The Bulls were quickly on the back foot and suffered further when Zak Burger was sent to the bin for a cynical foul.

Capitalising on the numerical advantage, Magnus Bradbury powered over the line for Edinburgh’s second try, stretching the lead. Though the Bulls responded through David Kriel, who dotted down after a rare break, Edinburgh quickly returned fire.

Lang collected a fortunate bounce to notch his second of the afternoon, and a penalty from fly-half Ross Thompson gave the hosts a healthy 24–7 lead at halftime.

The Bulls showed grit in the second period and came out aggressively. However, they were again set back when Jannes Kirsten was yellow-carded for a high tackle.

Edinburgh capitalised swiftly — this time through veteran lock Grant Gilchrist, who muscled over from short range to make it 31–7.

The match appeared over, but the Bulls came roaring back. A penalty try reignited their hopes, followed by another five-pointer from Cameron Hanekom, and a second from the ever-influential David Kriel cut the deficit to just six points.

Under pressure, Edinburgh showed composure. A late penalty from Thompson provided some breathing room, and a decisive turnover by Pierre Schoeman in the closing moments denied the Bulls a final assault.