Bulls bend over backwards to help Pote

Ken Borland

The Blue Bulls team are trying everything to allow coach Pote Human the chance to achieve his dream of holding the Currie Cup trophy aloft once again, which is why, in that context, last weekend’s nail-biting win over Griquas in Kimberley was so vital, according to Jano Venter.

Human was the coach of the Blue Bulls in 2006 when they shared the trophy with Free State, and the veteran coach is no doubt keen to have the famous cup all for himself and his team this time around. But the Bulls, having lost twice already, were in danger of being eliminated from contention, before holding out for a 4540 win over Griquas. If they can now grab a bonus point win over the Pumas in Pretoria on Friday night and deny their visitors any points, then they will be assured of a semifinal place.

“We all have a lot of respect for coach Pote and we feel we owe him, because winning the Currie Cup again is his big dream, he showed us the small replica Currie Cups they were given in 2006. We knew we could not let another one slip which is why the guys were so happy to win in Kimberley, even though we made it difficult for ourselves.

“We knew if we lost then our semifinal hopes would be put in doubt, so we were very satisfied because they are very tough to beat, their players are much older than us. In the old days they were called small unions, but they’re not anymore. Captain Ruan Steenkamp told us our backs were against the wall and the only path was to go forward,” Venter said.

The Pumas will bring the same tenacious, abrasive attitude as the Northern Cape side, according to the hard-working flank, but the Blue Bulls know the prize is great if they can win again at the weekend in front of the passionate Loftus Versfeld crowd.

“The Pumas always give you a tough game, but our focus is on ourselves, we’ve been training so hard, which is why we were so sad after the loss to the Lions. We know the Pumas are going to come for us up front, they are big, physical guys, so the game will start there. It’s an important game on Friday and I think we can play in the final,” Venter said.