From bad to worse for Bulls

Things went from bad to worse for the Bulls yesterday as it was confirmed Jacques Potgieter (above) will not be available for this weekend’s game against the Jaguares at Loftus Versfeld, adding more strain to a loose trio that has featured several perplexing selections already this season.

Potgieter tweaked a hamstring after coming off the bench during the parlous loss to the Sunwolves last weekend and, although team doctor Herman Rossouw yesterday described the injury as “a niggle and nothing serious”, he added that he did not expect the Springbok to be available for what will surely be an extremely physical contest against the Argentinians.

It means coach Nollis Marais now sits without injured flanks Potgieter, Ruan Steenkamp, Arno Botha, Roelof Smit and Shaun Adendorff, while Renaldo Bothma is serving the last week of his suspension for a dangerous tackle.

Tighthead prop Jacobie Adriaanse is going to be assessed during the week to see if he has sufficiently recovered from concussion.

Marais and his staff met with Bulls senior management and the only way for him to convince them that he should continue will be by producing results on the field.

But the Jaguares showed against the Sharks last weekend that they are not going to be easy nuts to crack. They have learnt to handle travel demands much better, meaning the Bulls are going to have to play with considerably more accuracy and cohesion.