Matthews hopes his never-surrender attitude rubs off on his Bulls teammates

AS GOOD as the Stormers have been this year it will be important for the Bulls to focus on the road that lies ahead and not look back, according to wing Duncan Matthews, pictured.

Matthews, who only made his Super Rugby debut this season, is not afraid of the stature of the game on Saturday against a Stormers team that have already booked their place in the Super Rugby play-offs.

The most important thing for Matthews’ injury-interrupted career, is that the Bulls pick themselves up from their current mediocrity and finally showcase the talent and ability that comes with the names of fullback Warrick Gelant, Jan Serfontein and Jesse Kriel, to mention a few.

“I’m not too worried about the Stormers at the moment, I feel like me and Warrick and a few of the other guys in the team have to find each other better and it will come off.

“I know what we have in our backline and if we stick to what we can do, and do what we know we can do, the result will speak for itself,” Matthews said.

However the Bulls can take much from how Matthews have been able to overcome some career-threatening injuries ahead of their derby against the Stormers, but it is their belief in themselves that will be critical in them being able to get over the line when it matters the most.

“When I came to the Bulls I was skinnier than I am now, and I worked on that and tried to get the physical attributes to play rugby. I might not have the height but I can stand my ground to defend against a guy like Julian Savea, if you can stand your ground it doesn’t matter how big or tall you are,” said Matthews.

It was against the Hurricanes, for whom Savea plays, that Matthews announced his introduction into Super Rugby with a try on debut and it will be the same mentality that got him through the three years of injuries that Matthews wants his teammates to adopt against a star-studded Stormers side.

Matthews’ positive attitude needs to permeate to the rest of the Bulls team if they are to recover from their shock loss against the Kings and their indifferent season, while the ability to return to their best cannot be based on one season but must be on the back of the setbacks they have suffered since their last Super Rugby triumph in 2010.

While Matthews’ rise to prominence at Loftus has come due to the injuries to Jamba Ulengo and Travis Ismaiel, it is a case of making the best out of a bad situation as far as Mathews is concerned – and the Bulls will need to apply this attitude if they want to record an unlikely victory against the Stormers.

“Injuries have been the lowest point of my career. I always tell my close friends that the worst part is lying in bed and knowing that you are better than the guys out there. So for me getting over that mental barrier was the most important thing, but I agreed that I must take a year off rugby and when I came back the guys at Loftus still believed in me and this has been the result of that.

“If you come back from injury with the confidence needed to play at the highest level then I still believe I can be better than I am at the moment. It’s just a matter of getting the fitness as well. I’ve had a few games now to gain momentum and I know I can be better if I can get fitter,” said Matthews.

Hopefully the Bulls will get better if they have the same belief and not look back on what might have been, as Matthews has done.