Uphill battle for Bulls after defeats

Following defeat to the Sharks and the Golden Lions‚ the Blue Bulls are in a desperate struggle for survival in the Currie Cup.

They have to win all their remaining games to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Coach Pote Human acknowledged their plight.

“It is a knock to the confidence. The pressure is really on us. We have to go to Kimberley. We know what will await us there. They are not easy there. It will be tough‚” he said about their next game against Griquas.

Captain Hanro Liebenberg remained sanguine about prospects. “There is a lot of character in this team. I don’t doubt the team. We will come back strong,” he vowed.

Against the Golden Lions on Saturday‚ Human’s team fell on the wrong side of the law far too often. “I was really disappointed with our discipline‚” he said.

His team also missed an inordinate number of tackles as the Lions ran in seven tries. In attack, the Bulls at times lacked composure. “I think it was overeagerness. We want to score tries. We need to be more patient‚” Liebenberg said.

The captain defended his team’s decision predominantly to kick for the corner flag when penalties were kickable.

“If you want to win the competition it is about the teams that score the most tries‚” he said.

“Teams that score tries get into a semifinal and a final. We want to score tries.”

It was not all doom and gloom for the Bulls though. Flanker Ruan Steenkamp scored a hat-trick of tries‚ but was also sin-binned.

“He’s unbelievable‚” Human said. “He puts his body on the line. He gives everything.”

While the Bulls mauled with much intent‚ Human was also pleased with his team’s line-out that yielded a 100% return on their feeds.

“That is something we can build on‚” he said.