Good results are on the way for Bulls, says Gqoboka

THE way Lizo Gqoboka stormed over the tryline against Connacht last Friday would bring a smile to the face of any prop.

And the Bulls loosehead was initially all smiles from Wales yesterday, where the Bulls are getting ready to take on the Cardiff Blues in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday (8.35pm SA time kick-off).

But after two defeats in Ireland, against Leinster (31-3) and Connacht (34-7), the Springbok front-rower was all business when asked about his impressive dash to the line in the early stages of the Galway clash last week.

“It's a tough one – I was happy about the try on the field, but we lost the game – so it doesn't make me happy, because the team comes first. What we achieve as a team comes first, so it's not something to be smiling about on the Monday,” the normally cheery Gqoboka said.

Those two losses are not something Bulls coach Jake White is smiling about either, and he will hope that his players can convert any kind of set-piece or physical dominance into points against Cardiff. The Pretoria side had numerous chances to score in the first half against Connacht, but a lost lineout, knocked-on or a wrong option on attack restricted them to just seven points with the wind behind them.

The Irish province added 24 unanswered points in the second half to secure a bonus-point win, with the Bulls also conceding too many penalties.

“There are a couple of things I think we need to adjust to. Firstly, the conditions are different, and the tempo with which they play is very different – they are quite accurate in their execution, and then they are used to the conditions,” Gqoboka said from Wales.

“We need to really learn quickly and address and adapt. We are focusing on ourselves and continuing to improve and analysing how we can counter that, and learning and growing.

“We have to adapt. I will make an example – in Europe, there is something called breaking the glass. So, in the line-out, you can jump over, whereas in South Africa, you're not allowed (to do that) … you must jump straight up. You can't jump over the guys when you're contesting in the line-outs.

“So, those are the small differences in refs, but it's not going to change because we complain.

So, we just need to analyse as well, and just adapt.”

Cardiff will be determined to get back into the winners' circle themselves after losing a Welsh derby 18-14 to the Ospreys in Swansea last week.

They have 2019 Rugby World Cup star and Lions wing Josh Adams in their line-up too, but for the Bulls, they will first have to secure front-foot ball from the pack, with the scrums presenting a new challenge on the 4G synthetic pitch at Cardiff Arms Park, which is right next door to the Millennium Stadium.

“Fortunately, our management has organised that we have the feel of it today at training, and we will train on there tomorrow as well, so we are really privileged that we can train on the pitch before Saturday,” Gqoboka said.

“Our attitude as the Bulls is to not complain, but rather adapt and learn and grow as quick as possible.

“(With) any loss, we always look at ourselves in the mirror. I would say that the guys who came on in the second half last week showed character and fought until the end, even though we were way behind in terms of the scoreboard. They never stopped fighting, so that's our character as a team.

“We believe if we continue to improve, that good results are on the way.”