The Bulls produced a commanding second-half performance to beat Zebre 47-13 in Parma and begin their United Rugby Championship campaign in emphatic fashion.

The Vodacom Bulls made a statement on the opening weekend of the United Rugby Championship, running in seven tries to secure a comprehensive 47-13 victory over Zebre at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi on Saturday.

The hosts opened the scoring through Tommaso Allan, who landed a penalty in the 13th minute, but the Bulls quickly took control of the contest.

Allan added another three points in the 23rd minute before Zebre were reduced to 14 men when Matteo Canali was shown a yellow card.

The Bulls immediately capitalised. A sustained attack resulted in a penalty try in the 25th minute, putting the visitors 7-6 ahead.

From there, the Bulls' attack began to click.

Reinhardt Ludwig finished off a slick attacking move in the 30th minute, with Curwin Bosch converting to extend the lead to 14-6.

The Bulls then added two more tries before half-time. Paul de Wet raced clear following an interception in the 37th minute before Ludwig played a key role in creating another opportunity that ended with de Wet crossing. Bosch converted the latter scores as the Bulls went into the break with a commanding 28-6 advantage.

The visitors picked up where they left off after the interval.

Ruan Vermaak powered over just two minutes into the second half after a break involving Willie le Roux, with Bosch adding the conversion to make it 35-6.

Harold Vorster then finished another flowing Bulls attack in the 51st minute, with Bosch converting once again as the Pretoria side moved 35 points clear.

Zebre finally found a response in the 58th minute when Alessandro Fusco crossed for their first try of the afternoon. Allan added the conversion, reducing the deficit to 35-13.

Any hopes of a late comeback were quickly extinguished.

The Bulls continued to dominate the closing stages and added three more tries. Reinhardt Ludwig was involved in another attack before Hakeem Kunene scored in the 77th minute.

Willie le Roux converted to make it 42-13 before Zak Burger completed the rout two minutes later, picking up from the base of a ruck to score the Bulls' seventh try.

Le Roux's conversion attempt went wide, but it mattered little as the Bulls closed out a 47-13 victory.

The result extends the Bulls' unbeaten record against Zebre and continues their remarkable scoring record against the Italian side. Before Saturday's meeting, the Bulls had won all five previous encounters, including a 54-19 victory in Pretoria in May.

The Bulls' dominance was also reflected in their attacking statistics. They made 18 entries into the opposition 22 compared with Zebre's eight and won 95 rucks to the hosts' 55, while 76% of their rucks were completed within three seconds.

For Johan Ackermann's side, it was an ideal start to the new URC campaign, particularly after a first half in which they gradually grew into the contest before taking complete control after the interval.

Zebre, meanwhile, were left with plenty to address after conceding 47 points on home soil.

Final score: Zebre 13-47 Bulls.