Coetzee: Fans give us a big lift
Having played most of their home matches in the United Rugby Championship on a Saturday afternoon in recent weeks, the Bulls are set for a Friday night game at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow evening.
They face the Glasgow Warriors this week, and they’re hoping their fans will still come out in their numbers to support them.
The Bulls have enjoyed good home support from the Loftus faithful ever since fans were allowed back inside stadiums following the lifting of the majority of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
But Friday night rugby matches are notoriously poorly attended so it will be interesting to see how many turn up on Friday [tomorrow] to watch the Bulls take on Glasgow (kick-off 7pm).
Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee simply said it was nice having the fans back.
“We don’t mind (about when we play), we just want to play rugby. Whether it’s Friday night or on a Saturday at two o’clock,” said Coetzee.
“It’s just phenomenal playing at Loftus these days, especially with the crowds coming back and the support that we have been gathering.
“I’ve personally enjoyed having fans back and the team has been feeding off that. No matter what the time, we just want to play in front of a passionate crowd.
“That is something we have experienced now, and it is something some of us thought we would not experience here at Loftus, but it’s been phenomenal, and we are so happy to have the fans back.”
The Bulls, currently in eighth place on the URC points table, face a tricky test against Glasgow, knowing they cannot slip up now if they’re to play in the competition’s quarterfinals in a few weeks’ time.
Jake White’s team are coming off a good win against Benetton Treviso and will look to kick on against the Scottish side, who came unstuck against the Stormers a week ago. Picking up a seventh win in eight matches will be the Bulls’ only goal, according to Coetzee.
“The past few games have basically been must-win games for us. The guys have embraced the importance of the next few games,” said Coetzee.