Bulls feel pressure after lukewarm start

Prop Lizo Gqoboka has admitted the Bulls players are feeling the pressure after their stuttering start to the Super Rugby campaign. The Bulls have won just one of five starts in the campaign.

Prop Lizo Gqoboka has admitted the Bulls players are feeling the pressure after their stuttering start to the Super Rugby campaign.

The Bulls have won just one of five starts in this campaign.

“There is definitely pressure on us as players but pressure is one of those things that makes you grow as a player‚” he said.

“The Bulls have won this competition on a couple of occasions in the past and that in itself brings pressure.

“It is something that I believe will help us to grow as people and players. We have done well in terms of staying positive and working hard‚ despite the fact that results have not been going our way. But we want to change that,” Gqoboka said.

This weekend‚ the Bulls are in Tokyo against the Sunwolves‚ the only team they have been able to beat so far and Gqoboka said that they had to eliminate elementary mistakes.

“We want to express ourselves without fear and be responsible with a proper structure. We want progress in the way that we play and we believe that if we do, we can get a win.”

Gqoboka said that they watched the Sunwolves against the Stormers in Singapore two weeks ago in their last match before they got a bye and they troubled the Cape Town-based side.

“We don’t have a right to underestimate anyone. The Sunwolves have the most line breaks in the competition if I’m not mistaken and they almost got that win against the Stormers. We just want to go out there and execute our plan so that we can end this overseas tour with a win. We have played against teams that mostly keep the ball in hand and create pressure.

“There have been some improvements from our first match of the season. We have been winning penalties‚ having steady scrums and setpieces and lineouts are coming along.”

Gqoboka has not been playing regularly, but said he understood coach Nollis Marais’ rotation policy, which was explained to him and Pierre Schoeman.

“We are given equal opportunities‚ we are both good props and there is good competition. What is important is that there was honesty because everything was clear from the beginning‚” he said.