Bulls to make it ‘uncomfortable’ for Highlanders

THE Bulls are in free-fall and are looking to arrest a four-game winless run ahead of their now do-or-die clash against the Highlanders at Loftus.

It’s been one of the more forgettable starts to a Super Rugby campaign for the Pretoria side and their coach, Pote Human, looked decidedly lost for words and ideas at their Wednesday press conference.

“Everything,” he said, when probed about which areas needed urgent attention in the team in order to salvage even an ugly draw against the Highlanders tomorrow.

“We had a great week again but counts for nothing; what counts is what happens on Saturday on the field.”

At least the coach has put the handbrake down in his team selection by bringing Manie Libbok (22) in to start at flyhalf ahead of Morne Steyn (35), who drops to the bench.

At junior level, Libbok could play full-back as well as outside centre, and possesses the kind of speed that made Beauden Barrett the most dangerous rugby player on the planet.

Where Libbok lacks is his game-management. But there will be nothing for him to manage if the Bulls are porous in defence, as they were when they got lashed 39-24 by the Jaguares at home last weekend.

It was as if the game was being played in Buenos Aires or Salta. The Bulls were constantly in retreat, turned into putty in the face of the Jaguares maul and the Argentine backs went through their defence like a swarm of locusts to a maize field.

Although they had moments where their attack clicked – such as when Warrick Gelant and Cornal Hendricks scored – those were fleeting glimpses of what they could do.

The nature of their previous defeats has also taken on multiple personalities. They lost a dog-fight against the Sharks in round one before going completely blank against the Stormers and then bottling a sure-bet against the Blues the weekend after their bye.

To get their desired victory they have to be clinical on offence and stubborn in defence. What’s more, they have been bullied twice at home this year, where, as captain Trevor Nyakane pointed out, they should be giving the teams hell.

The Bulls and Highlanders drew 24-24 in Dunedin the last time they met and Lima Sopoaga’s last-minute penalty won a 29-28 cliffhanger at their last meeting in Pretoria. This makes the match-up quite tricky for the home team.

“Teams are bit comfortable now coming to Loftus,” Nyakane said.

“We need to let teams know that when they come here it’s not just going to be a walk in the park.

“Even when I was at the Cheetahs, you feared to come to Loftus; it was a very tough place to come play. We need to try to bring that back.

“The Highlanders like fast rugby and to keep the ball in play. That’s what they are going to bring here to Loftus but we know what we need to do to counter that and make it more uncomfortable for them.”

SPRINGBOK Sevens coach Neil Powell has made one rotational change to his squad that won the Los Angeles Sevens for this weekend’s tournament in Vancouver, swopping the roles of Mfundo Ndhlovu and JC Pretorius.

Ndhlovu has been the squad’s “13th” player all through the World Sevens Series and is now to be given game time in place of the over-played Pretorius, who takes on the role of official reserve. Pretorius has been impressive in recent tournaments, winning Dream Team selections in both Sydney and LA, but Powell said the decision taken to rest the energetic forward was done with the best interest of the squad and player at heart.

“JC has played in every tournament and has clocked the most minutes of everyone in the squad, so he will be managed a bit this weekend,” said Powell. “As 13th player, you could end up playing in five matches or none, as it happened with Mfundo in Los Angeles. Just as much as JC needs a bit of a break, Mfundo needs some time out on the field having returned from injury, so the swop was actually an easy one to make.”

The switch will also see the role of Angelo Davids change from last weekend. Davids has started to double up as hooker when not playing on the wing and he will be more involved in the forwards in the Pool A clashes with Japan, Argentina and England tomorrow. “We are busy grooming Angelo to become a utility player for us and he will get more game time at hooker for us at the tournament. Despite last weekend’s success, we need to start all over again in our approach and attitude in Vancouver,” said Powell, adding that the Blitzboks enjoy the sixth stop on the series. “The challenges will be different from last week and it will be more of a mindset thing. You are always keen to improve when you did not perform well in a previous tournament. But if you won, as we did, the challenge becomes more mental.”

According to Powell, the uncertainty surrounding big sporting events in the next couple of months due to the coronavirus outbreak makes it easier for them to focus on the Canadian tournament. “We don’t know what is going to happen, so it makes no sense to worry about it,” he said.