Mitchell confident Bulls can start tour by beating Reds
FOR the Bulls to enjoy a successful tour Down Under, they need nothing short of winning at least two of their three matches against the Reds, Chiefs and Crusaders.
The harsh reality, though, of how difficult a tour there can be is shown by the fact that they have never won a Super Rugby encounter against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
But before embarking on “mission impossible” to New Zealand’s South Island, they have the opportunity of chancing their hand first at the Reds this morning in Brisbane before crossing the Tasman Sea to face the Chiefs in Hamilton next weekend.
And if they can unseat the Reds in their own backyard, it will ease the pain of last weekend’s loss to the Lions at Loftus Versfeld, even though they played so well. Coach John Mitchell has already taken one step towards ensuring his team’s long term success by engineering a win against the 2016 champions the Hurricanes in the capital two weeks ago, and he will again apply the same psychological tactics upon his charges against the Reds today.
Such is Mitchell’s belief in his team’s abilities that he has convinced them they can win away anywhere in their bid to be one of the competition’s surprise packages.
That element of surprise may have somewhat been uncovered in their win against the Hurricanes but if they are able to overcome the glaring weaknesses in their game from last week, then the Reds will certainly have their hands full.
With a potent second row led by capable Springbok lock Lood de Jager and the bruising but energetic youngster in RG Snyman, the Bulls will look to their tight five to land the initial telling blows, leaving the rest of the team to put the Reds on the canvas.
Regardless of whether they find themselves on home or foreign soil, Mitchell has drummed into his team that Super Rugby champions are made by their ability to win against any opposition and on any field: “At the end of the day it is a piece of grass no different to Loftus. We have a responsibility to mentally deal with wherever we go. Whether we are at home or away is irrelevant and it is about sticking to our process and rectifying our inaccuracies.”
The Bulls will not go blindly into today’s clash with former All Black lock Brad Thorne’s side; they will be well aware of the threat the Reds pose with their hard running and gigantic midfield. while their enthusiasm to stay in the contest will test the Bulls’ levels of conditioning.
“In their two fixtures they demonstrated first phase attack in that area (midfield) and we will need to win the gain line and stop them from gaining any sort of momentum,” said Mitchell.
“They got through a lot of attack against the Brumbies and were unlucky not to finish. They are busy, have good structure and a simple plan, kick early and are young and enthusiastic.”