Boeta Chamberlain of the Sharks tackling Cornal Hendricks of the Bulls. (Photo Mandatory Credit Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
- Bulls breakdown coach Nollis Marais said they were on better ground relative to the same scenario during their previous URC season.
- The Bulls’ discipline has fallen off a cliff recently, as they have conceded two penalty attempts in two straight games.
- Marais was hopeful that Bok tightspin Wilcow Louw would head to Pretoria later this year and their scrum would stop malfunctioning.
Bulls breakdown manager Nollis Marais said they were on better ground relative to the same scenario during their previous season in the United Rugby Championship (URC) following two successive losses to teams from South Africa.
The Pretoria team suffered two damaging losses to the Stormers and Sharks away from home in December, making nine tries in total in the two games.
Director of rugby Jake White had retained his favorite 23 for blockbuster clashes of the Christmas period after resting his big guns for the European Champion Clubs’ Cup early last month.
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However, the move paid no dividends after they went on a three-game winless run that began at Sandy Park, where they were beaten by former English champions Exeter Chiefs.
White’s assistant Marais, however, drew comparisons to their URC start last year when they were bottom of the record from the start, but rallied to reach the final in Cape Town, upsetting Leinster in Dublin. in the semifinals.
“If you go back a year, we were two [wins] out of seven in the URC, so our record this season is much better in comparison,” said Marais.
“I definitely agree that we’ve hit the dampers a bit in recent weeks, but we can’t be too negative given our record position.
“We need to strike the balance between creating play and playing percentages well.”
The Bulls’ discipline has fallen off a cliff recently, as they have conceded two penalty attempts in two straight games.
Springbok star Canan Moodie also received a red card at Kings Park last week, where the Bulls received two yellow cards.
In addition, the Sky Blues’ scrum also collapsed under pressure from the more experienced first rowers they faced, who possessed Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit (both Sharks).
Marais is hopeful that Bok’s airhead Wilcow Louw will head to Pretoria later this year, and his engine room will stop malfunctioning.
“When we scrummed last year, we were literally afraid that the first one would be a penalty against us,” Marais said.
“It has gone much better with [consultant] Werner Kruger and the first rowers have become more experienced.
“But we can’t deny that we’re fighting the Sharks and the Stormers. Still, it’s important to note that you’re fighting the best first rowers in South Africa, if not the world, in guys like Kitshie, Ox, Bongi [Mbonambi] and Frans Malherbe.
“We have Wilco Louw later this year and he will bolster our hard-headed actions. It’s the same at Lock where we’ve lost a guy like Walt Steenkamp, but the two Ruans (Nortje and Vermaak) just need to step up.” . get up and soak up the lessons every week.
The Bulls are in Wales for a date with the Dragons at Rodney Parade on Friday night. The start is at 21:35.
