Bulls have a golden chance against unbeaten Crusaders

SPRINGBOK and Bulls lock Lood de Jager has probably been saving his best performance of the season for the encounter against All Black and Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock.

But Saturday’s crunch Super Rugby encounter will deny the fans a duel between two of the finest locks of their generation, after Whitelock copped a two-match suspension for striking a player with his elbow in the Crusaders’ win against the Cheetahs last weekend.

De Jager may have a plausible excuse for feeling aggrieved at missing out on yet another battle with Whitelock, but the lanky Springbok second rower believes the Bulls have a golden opportunity to pull off their best performance yet to overcome the unbeaten log leaders.

As much as De Jager had been relishing the challenge of locking horns with Whitelock and All Black captain Kieran Read, who suffered a broken thumb against the Cheetahs and is ruled out for six weeks, it is the Bulls that face an even greater challenge of stopping the Crusaders’ nine-match unbeaten run.

“I am (disappointed). I look forward to playing against him and especially Kieran Read. They are a good test at line-out time. But it is what it is and injuries and suspensions are part of the game, but we are still looking forward to Saturday,” De Jager said. “I think they are world-class players and any side will suffer without them.”

As mediocre as the Bulls have been since the beginning of the season, they have been able to keep a three-match unbeaten run at fortress Loftus and with the Crusaders not having won in the capital since 2008, De Jager has urged his teammates to use their home ground record as a source of motivation in taking the battle to the Crusaders.