The Bulls have found a new weapon but regaining South African power still a tall ask
The Bulls opened their Super Rugby campaign at home in Pretoria with an emphatic 40-3 statement win over the troubled Stormers, a complete reversal of the pre-season clash between the two sides, and in the process uncovered a new weapon and an old one – Rosko Specman and astute tactical kicking.
The addition of Blitzboks Sevens star Specman proved a masterstroke as he knifed the Stormers to bits twice inside the first quarter of the game. The speed Specman brings, even at 29-years-old, gives the Bulls a lethal finisher who can create all on his own, or roam around and work off the ball-players to create mismatches as he did on his second try.
Specman showed an invaluable ability to provide pressure on kick-chase with his top-level speed and complete his tackles with a high success rate, an undervalued part of his game which the Bulls will use off the back of first five-eighth Handre Pollard’s long driving kicks. His reading of the game from the backfield is still green, his rolling coverage will need to improve but overall this looks like a boom signing.
The return of former Stormer Duane Vermeulen to Super Rugby in a Bulls jersey has bolstered the pack with a world-class eight, and he showed that in the first half an hour with over 60 metres on eight carries.
More impressive was the back row as a unit, with Hanro Liebenberg and Ruan Steenkamp in combination with Vermeulen forcing six turnovers and imposing themselves on the Stormers in defence as part of a brutal Bulls line, while veteran hooker Schalk Brits also impressed in his short return before being forced from the field.
With the Bulls coaching staff not being appointed until mid-way through the pre-season, even with the large number of quality signings, this kind of dominant result wasn’t expected.
They may still be benefitting from processes installed by John Mitchell last year as the new coaching staff has had little time to work with the squad, but the Stormers were objectively awful and could not find an answer to the tactical kicking of the Bulls halves.
The Stormers’ backfield coverage was all over the shop, allowing the likes of Pollard, Warrick Gelant and Embrose Papier to tactically kick the Stormers out of the game. The Bulls halves pairing kicked more than double that of the Stormers, and did so on a third of their possessions.
Pollard played the corners and took the space when offered, using a deft chip off set-piece to set up a try for Jesse Kriel early in the second half to put the game beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Springbok centre nearly had a flawless game, distributing wisely and defending well until a few errors crept in late in the game.
The Stormers have as many on-field issues as they do off it, with defensive breakdowns a constant worry not to mention basic execution errors. At 28-3 early in the second half, the Bulls basically shut down the game by taking every available three and played for territory for nearly fifty minutes.
The third try to Bulls winger John-Ben Kotze contained nice lead-up work but the Stormers defence made horrendous reads, with nearly every player out of sync and playing outside of any visible system and without trust in each other.
Despite the visitors being laden with Springbok talent, it would be dangerous to put too much weight on beating this Stormers outfit by a big score. The Lions remain king in the South African conference until proven otherwise, and the Sharks are building, proving last year they can go on the road and win in New Zealand, something the Bulls have struggled with in recent years.
The Bulls haven’t won an overseas game since 2016, in over two years, and haven’t won on New Zealand soil since 2013. The first test will come next week when they travel to Argentina to play the Jaguares before key conference games against the Lions and Sharks.
If the Bulls can continue their form through this early block of four games, it could set them up for a favourable run into playoff qualification. Their Australasian tour isn’t due into Round 13, by which point they will have built into the season and determined much of their conference fate.
The one factor of the Bulls’ game that holds the most weight out of the performance is the defensive showing, limiting the visitors to three points and conceding no tries, which gives the strongest indication that they may turn the corner in 2019.
They will need to take that defensive resolve to Buenos Aires.
Comments on RugbyPass
Pick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
15 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
15 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
15 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
15 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
15 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
15 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
15 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to comments