Bulls eager to bounce back

The Bulls have lost two games in a row and prop Lizo Gqoboka (above) says their focus is on controlling what is in their power: their response to those setbacks and the attitude they take on to the field in their crucial match against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

“We can control how we respond to those defeats and we choose to be positive. We want to keep upskilling ourselves and we have to improve every week, that’s the big challenge. We just lacked that attitude against the Stormers and that attention to detail. Playing at home really boosts your confidence and hunger and the Stormers really brought it to us,” Gqoboka said.

“John Mitchell accepts if we lose sometimes, but only if we played our hearts out and I don’t feel like we were able to do that at Newlands. The Stormers were physical and wanted to dominate every area, they came out firing. Our primary job in the front row is to scrummage and it doesn’t help if you carry the ball 10 times but then get scrummed.”

It was a rare blip for Gqoboka, who has been outstanding since replacing the suspended Pierre Schoeman at loosehead, but he did manage to win a couple of scrums against Wilco Louw, probably the best tighthead in the country this year. He will surely be in the thoughts of the national selectors for the June Tests.

“A call-up by the Springboks would be great, that’s obviously everyone’s goal. But I’m focused on what I can control, which is what I do here. Besides, all the props are on form,” Gqoboka said.

Regular tighthead Trevor Nyakane should be over the neck strain that forced him to withdraw from the Cape Town game, but Gqoboka knows the Bulls pack are going to have to work extremely hard to get the better of the Sharks up front.

“The Sharks are doing really well up front too, Thomas du Toit is on form and playing good rugby and Beast is back and dominating the scrums again. They also want to get over the advantage line, they’re very physical with nice offloads, and we have to work hard on our high defence,” he added.

A call-up by the Springboks would be great, that’s obviously everyone’s goal. Lizo Gqoboka