Bulls still have cracks to fill

Bulls assistant coach Andries Bekker has insisted that there’s still plenty of room for improvement in their game as the season heads to the crucial stages.

Bekker, who joined the Bulls at the start of the season, has contributed significantly to the progress the team has shown this term. The Bulls are currently in third place on the United Rugby Championship points table with 35 points.

They have also qualified for the last-16 of the Champions Cup, where they will take on Lyon in April at Loftus Versfeld.

Assessing their season so far, Bekker was pleased with how they had moved through the gears but wants more from his charges tactically.

“We’ve been going well in the season so far, but it’s too up and down. We need to find a few games in a row where we can transfer that pressure and execute our basics more,” Bekker told the media.

The former Springbok lock said they are pleased to have their senior players back in the set-up for the season’s run-in.

The Bulls have had to work around resting their Springboks this season – the likes of Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Marco van Staden and Willie le Roux have taken breaks at different intervals during the season.

Also back in the Bulls playing squad is prop Wilco Louw (above), who has been influential in their scrum this season.

“It’s good to have a couple of experienced players back, that will help us,” Bekker said.

“In that middle part of the season, we had a couple of young guys, good guys but inexperienced.

“They have played eight games in a row and that will make it easier for us. I don’t think it’s easy to get that perfect performance but we are working hard to get close to that,” he said.

An area that Bekker noted which needs improvement in their system is the kicking game.

“If we can sort out our kicking game and how we can transfer pressure and relieve pressure. I think in the modern game that’s the biggest thing you’ll have to get perfect to make the game easier.”