Bulls desperate to regain pride

THE BURNING question facing the Bulls is whether this past week has been enough time for them to turn around their 62-24 drubbing by the Crusaders into a win when they host the Highlanders at Loftus Versfeld today.

There can be no running away from the fact that the Bulls have hit their lowest ebb since coach Nollis Marais took over the reins last year and that has been brought about by the bad start to the season which included a loss to the Sunwolves while last weekend’s record home defeat would have further exacerbated an already dire situation.

It is unheard of in the past decade that a Bulls team have only managed to win three out of their nine matches so far in the season. They are nowhere near play-off contention let alone fighting for top spot in their respective conference.

They have not hidden away their pain and embarrassment in the past week and Marais has shown some guts in making some bold decisions in the hope they yield better results.

The team have been handed new leadership in the form of captain Hanro Liebenberg and vice-captain Burger Odendaal and there have been significant changes in terms of the playing personnel.

A much more polished performance that has the hallmarks of a team desperate to return to Super Rugby’s top table is what they will be chasing.

There is no area of the game that the Bulls can boast to have mastered this season and especially last week and it is with frailties all over the park that Liebenberg will have to lead his side into a resurgence that hopefully will bring back some pride and respect for the jersey they wear.

Once upon a time the Bulls were respected but more than anything they were feared and in today’s match against a very capable Highlanders they will need to begin that process of not only regaining their self-respect but more importantly being feared for what they can do to opposition teams especially at fortress Loftus.

“I think it is a series of events that have led us to where we are at the moment. If you are winning it’s fine because you build on that confidence. If you start losing then it is very difficult to get players out of that situation,” Marais said.

“If you take Saturday for instance in the first 10 minutes we were on attack the whole time and we should have converted three into seven points but we didn’t do that. The Crusaders scored three easy tries and then confidence becomes a problem because belief is a problem.

“They always say winning is a habit but so is losing, so to get the players out of that frame of mind is our focus.

“The players want to go out and prove everybody wrong and play for the pride of the union. We’re not talking about winning or losing; we are talking about passion and pride. The guys just want to get the Crusaders (disaster) behind them.”

Returning this once proud and great franchise back to its glory days, though, will take more than just a few changes and a new captain.

A return to basics by dominating the set-piece, keeping the defence watertight and making good of ball in hand will definitely be steps in the right direction.

But this will have to be done with great consideration and care against opponents who are smelling blood and can inflict the same, if not worse, damage than the Crusaders did last week.

“I think it will be very difficult to make the play-off spot now,” says Marais. “If the Stormers slip up we might be able to. But I said to the guys the focus must be on the next game and the next step we have to take. The next step is the Highlanders.”

ITHINK most of us agree that social media, although an incredible democratic development, contains within it a fair amount of twaddle.

Far from tolling the knell of conventional media, the confusion it causes has led to a demand for credible reference points.

Just look at the rise of the political or social commentator. These people are celebrated like stars today because they’re able to bring a level of order to the chaos caused by social media and dumbed-down comment.

Instead of polluting with sensationalism and scandal many think a move to objectivity and reasoned sanity, delivered in an attractive way, would prove commercially successful for many a battling platform, regardless of it being on radio, print, screen or digital.

We shall see. In the end the numbers will decide.

I did laugh at that Facebook picture of massive random Springbok celebrations. The caption indicated it was reaction to us not getting Japan in our 2019 World Cup group. Ha-ha! More of that digital cleverness please.

I am a great fan of the Irish rugby coach Joe Schmidt. He has a terrific record wherever he’s been , with the exception of that loss to Argentina at the last World Cup. He is a perfectionist but retains a sense of humour and regardless of injury or luck, he seems to able to remain logical and motivational at all times. He plans and delivers and exudes quiet confidence.

When the draw was announced for Japan, many of Irish persuasion were punching the air in delight. His side are in a group with Scotland and Japan. Compare that with England, who have France and Argentina, or ourselves with the mighty All Blacks and Italy, who recently beat us deservedly.

He refused to betray a hint of satisfaction on social media, rather observing that each group contained “the good, the bad and the ugly”. He also made the point that it is hard to assess where teams will be in terms of standard in two years’ time. The man talks sense.

We should celebrate the Springboks’ draw rather than break out the sackcloth. Getting the All Blacks in the pool stage is a benefit. It is good, not bad or ugly. I am being serious and here’s why: Assuming that, as usual, they will be strong and probably favourites, it means we can afford to lose once to them without being eliminated. All other major contenders will meet them in the knockout stage, where this won’t apply to us, so we have an advantage.

Remember England in 2007. We put 36 points on them without reply in the pool but had to battle to pip them in the final. They improved immeasurably. Playing the best in the pool is not necessarily bad. It means we get two cracks at them, not one, provided we qualify.

But there’s more to it than that. We have often lamented the fall of our rugby standards. Due to hubris, we believed for years the Boks had a Godgiven right to be successful. We assumed physical and aggressive superiority came with our birth certificates. Professional fitness and conditioning training proved the fallacy of this and we have fallen way behind in skills level as well as fitness. But remember, we’re talking about 2019. We have two years in which to get it right and a juicy target at which to aim.

At the moment there’s fierce debate about selection for the French visit. Well, Rule 1 should be that anyone who will not be around for 2019 should be out. No exception, even if it means playing callow youths and accepting defeats. Japan is more important than this series.

Select the skipper – hopefully Warren Whiteley, who has a track record of leading out of the wilderness – and move on from there. Speed, skill and imagination will be needed in 2019 so let’s start developing now. But this needs agreement, commitment and a steady hand on the tiller.

In 2004, against Ireland in Bloem, before his first Test in charge, Jake White told his side (and it was a much criticised selection, remember): “This is the basis of the side that will win the World Cup in France.”

He stuck to his guns, swallowed his pride over political interference and ignored a concerted media campaign to destroy him. He delivered and we celebrated.

We should now start preparing and select for that first game against New Zealand in Japan in 2019. That’s when we need to show we have caught up, or even passed the rest. What a prospect and, if managed properly, what a twoyear period we have ahead of us.