'We are better than that' - Bulls to re-shuffle as ban incoming
The Bulls will ‘regroup’ this Monday as they start preparations for a United Rugby Championship crunch encounter with a high-flying Ospreys team at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Irish powerhouse Munster, the tournament’s defending champions, showed their class in 27-22 win over the Bulls in Pretoria this past weekend.
Having started the weekend in this place, with aspirations of a top-two finish, the Bulls dropped back into the chasing pack.
Seven points separate the Bulls (46 points) from the Lions in 11th (39) on a congested tabled.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White says he is expecting his players to arrive at work on Monday to ensure they play to their true potential and ‘keep their destiny in their own hands’.
To further complicate matters, the Pretoria team is set to be without the services of Springbok utility Johan Goosen – the Bulls’ first-choice flyhalf – after his red card for a head-on-head collision with an opponent.
Given the standards set this season, it is unlikely he will get anything less than the obligatory three weeks.
There’s likely to be the standard one-week discount for attending tackle school.
Having lost their proud home record – the first-ever defeat against a European team in the URC at home and a 21-match victory run in Pretoria – the Bulls must now look to put their campaign back on track against a high-flying Ospreys.
“We are better than that,” a bitterly disappointed White said. “That first 18 minutes in the second half is how we wanted to play,” he said of coming back from trailing 10-17 at half-time, before holding a 22-17 lead in an improved performance.
However, in the wake of the Johan Goosen red card in the 54th minute, they failed to score again and two tries – the match-winner coming from veteran Irish scrumhalf Conor Murray in the final 10 minutes – allowed Munster to secure a bonus-point win.
“We were in the game till the last play of the game,” the Bulls boss said, adding: “It says a lot for the fighting spirit they showed.
“Take nothing away from Munster. They are the defending champions and beat the Stormers in Cape Town last year.
“They are a good team. They have beaten the Stormers and Bulls. They have the recipe right for beating South African teams.”
The loss made White ‘rethink’ his selection approach.
He said it is the whole team’s performance, not just the celebrated loose trio of Elrigh Louw, Reinhardt Ludwig and Cameron Hanekom.
While hugely talented, pundits are not convinced they are the right fit for the Bulls.
“I don’t think it is only [those] three guys,” he said, adding: “I will have a look and see how we take the next step.
“At times I thought the loose forwards were good. At times I thought we missed [injured seasoned Springboks] Marcell [Coetzee] and Marco [van Staden] with the things they bring to our squad.
“We will regroup on Monday. We are still alive in the competition.
“It has to hurt when we lose, but it is also something we must use to motivate ourselves for Monday’s training session.”
He pointed out that they have won an away semifinal to Leinster before.
“The priority is to get to the back-end, into the play-offs,” White said.
He admitted that the likely Goosen ban would force his hands in terms of selection.
“We don’t have the luxury of being able to afford another loss. Last year Munster had to fight for their lives, got wins at the back-end of the competition and ended up winning the URC.
“We will need to select the team that will help us get results in the next few weeks.
“We still want to control our own destiny.”
Comments on RugbyPass
ABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
225 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
225 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
16 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
16 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to commentsIf Havili can play anywhere in the back line, why not first 5. #10.
11 Go to commentsThe dressing room had already left for their summer break before they ran out in Dublin that year, and that’s on the coach. Franco Smith has undoubtedly made progress, particularly their maul, developing squad players and increasing squad depth. And against a very tight budget too. That said they were too lightweight last year and got found out against both Toulon and Munster in consecutive games. Better this season so far but they’ve developed something of a slow start habit occasionally, most notably losing at home to Northampton who played them at their own game. Play offs will ultimately show whether there has been tangible progress on last year, or not…!
2 Go to commentsAustralian Rugby has been a disaster, by not incorporating learning from previous successful campaigns. QLD Reds 2011 - Waratahs 2014. Players, coaches and administrators appoint there representatives for scheduled meetings, organisation’s agreement’s assessments and correspondence. This why a unified Rugby Union under one entity works. Every Rugby nation has taken that path. Was most difficult in the Northern hemisphere with over 100 years of club rugby before the game become professional. Took a lot of humility for those unions to eventually work together.
7 Go to commentsThough Wilson’s sacking was pretty brutal, it wasn’t just down to that Leinster game; Glasgow had a lot of 2nd half collapses that season, in the URC and Europe, and only just scraped into the playoffs. Franco Smith has definitely been an improvement, some players are delivering far more than they did under Wilson.
2 Go to commentsjesus - that front 5!
1 Go to commentsShould be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
84 Go to comments