Human angry despite win

Ken Borland

The Blue Bulls finally hit their straps as they brushed aside the Pumas 39-29 in their Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but it’s going to be almost a month before they get a chance to build on that performance and strengthen their position at the top.

Their third win lifted them to 17 points from five games. The Golden Lions are just one point behind with a game in hand, while Western Province and the Sharks are two points behind and both have two games in hand. Those contenders will be playing each other in the coming weeks, while the Blue Bulls, thanks to the ridiculous scheduling, only return to action on October 13, hosting Western Province in what will no doubt be a crucial game.

“I’m very irritated because it’s like starting a new season, we have four weeks of nothing now. It’s going to be very difficult to get the guys focused,” Blue Bulls coach Pote Human (above) fumed.

But he was far happier with his team’s performance against the Pumas, as they hit the abrasive, physical Mpumalanga side with a dazzling display of pace and skill.

“It’s always a fight against the Pumas, so I’m very happy to get the five points. Our young pack really stood up and our defence was very good. When they would score, we would come right back and that showed the guys were really hungry. It was one of our best performances.

“What John Mitchell put in place at the beginning of the year came through and that was the speed at which we play. We’ve really worked hard on our skills and the guys said they felt very calm. You could see on their faces how much they were enjoying the game, they played at a really fast pace,” Human said.

Although the thrilling display moved the Blue Bulls not only two points away from securing their semi-final berth and in closer proximity to their ideal level of performance, they are not there yet.

“There are things that still stand out to be fixed, like stopping the mauls and our discipline can still be better. We also just lost focus at times,” Human said.

You could see on their faces how much they were enjoying the game.

Pote Human Blue Bulls coach