The Bulls have played some wonderful attacking rugby this season, but a change of approach may just be required for Saturday night’s Champions Cup showdown with Lyon in France.
Director of rugby Jake White has encouraged his players to maintain a high tempo, especially at Loftus Versfeld, as he wants the Bulls to outwork their opponents with a ball-in-hand approach.
Add in a clever attacking kicking game and a powerful pack of forwards, and the Pretoria side have kept the opposition guessing this season.
That style of play has seen the likes of Kurt-lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and others emerge over the last few years, and the clarity in the game-plan has also played a large part in the Bulls lying third on the United Rugby Championship log with five wins out of seven.
White was rightfully crowing about the 27-16 Champions Cup triumph over Saracens at Loftus last weekend, where the Bulls showcased their attacking prowess with some sizzling play – although they missed out on a crucial four-try bonus point after bagging just three touchdowns.
But running out at Stade Gerland in Lyon on Saturday night (7.30pm SA time kickoff) is a very different prospect for the South African outfit.
They experienced the extreme cold of eastern France in January this year in going down 31-7 to Lyon, where the pitch was covered in snow in the lead-up to the game.
Some flakes dusted the ground during the match as well, and the Bulls spoke about how the freezing conditions contributed to their errorstrewn display.
Even with Arendse and Moodie involved, the visitors made a number
of handling errors and couldn’t find their rhythm against the French club.
On Saturday night, they are set to be without many of their first-choice players, who will remain back home to prepare for next weekend’s massive URC clash against the Stormers in Cape Town.
So, perhaps the Bulls will be better served by keeping things tight and getting their forwards to grind down the Lyon pack.
They have enough depth upfront, especially in the front row and loose trio, to take the fight to the French side with their big men.
Captain Marcell Coetzee will lead the charge, but hopefully the likes of hooker Jan-hendrik Wessels, props such as Simphiwe Matanzima and Khutha Mchunu, as well as loose forwards like Cyle Brink and Mpilo Gumede will get an opportunity to get stuck in at the scrums and lineouts, as well as the breakdowns.
The Stormers proved last week with a second-string selection against Leicester Tigers in England that if the game-plan is clear and the players put in the effort, they can be competitive.
Coetzee said this week that the Bulls will take confidence out of the Stormers’ 35-26 loss to Leicester.
White has cleverly rotated his squad through the first few games of the season, which has provided enough game-time for those players who may do duty in Lyon.
Flyhalf Chris Smith could be a key figure as well with his kicking game, while wings such as Sebastian de Klerk and Sergeal Petersen will have to chase those up-and-unders with vigour.
Having missed out on a bonus point against Saracens, the Bulls will hope to make that up by at least getting within seven points of Lyon if they are unable to emerge victorious.
IOL Sport