Bulls planning late Currie Cup charge
After a slow start, the resurgent Bulls rugby side are planning to mount a late charge to reach the Currie Cup Premier Division semifinals, assistant coach Sean Everitt says.
The Bulls ignited their season when they scored a thrilling 33-32 win over the Lions in Johannesburg last weekend to put them within touching distance of a playoff berth.
Thanks to the points they pocketed, the Bulls moved to sixth on the Currie Cup table, four points adrift of fourthplaced Western Province (31 points).
“It’s all in our hands now after this win over the Lions,” Everitt said.
“What we set ourselves out to do is to get 25 points out of the remainder of the five games, so we have three to go and we already have 10 points.
“It is important for us to improve on this performance and to get five points in Nelspruit against the Pumas this week, which will not be easy.
“After that we have the Griffons and Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld, so the 15 points before the two home games are going to be vital for us to have a shot at the playoffs, and it depends on what happens elsewhere.
“But the way I see it, if we can continue along our winning path there is no reason why we should not be in the knockout phase.”
“Our win over the Lions was really exciting in the end for the spectators, and for us as coaches it was intense.
“The Lions did well to come back into the game. I was hoping we would continue with the momentum from the first half.
“When we had the ball in hand in their 22 we were really good.
“Unfortunately the penalties and turnovers we conceded put us under the pump.
“However, that is how rugby goes.
“Credit has to go to the Lions. We knew they were a proud team.”
The Sharks and Western Province claimed big scalps over the weekend to strengthen their respective positions in the Premier Division standings.
A fired-up Sharks outfit clinched their fifth consecutive win when they beat the Cheetahs.
The bonus-point victory sees the Sharks moving up to second and they now boast the same number of points as the first-placed side.
The Cheetahs remain at the top thanks to their superior points difference.
Their inability to salvage so much as a losing bonus point from the defeat to the Sharks may prove costly at a later stage.
The Pumas may regret their late lapse against Western Province in Cape Town on Friday.
The hosts scored 10 points in the final 10 minutes, including a converted try after the hooter, to secure an eight-point victory that denied the defending champs any consolatory points.
As a result, the men from Mpumalanga have dropped to third in the standings, but are only three points behind the Cheetahs and the Sharks.
WP have consolidated their position in the top four and may surpass the Pumas in the coming weeks if they continue to win and other results go their way.
Griquas secured a bonuspoint win against the Griffons on Saturday to move up to fifth place.
They are only three points behind fourth-placed Western Province.
Weekend fixtures:
Friday: Griffons v Sharks, Western Province v Golden Lions.
Saturday: Cheetahs v Griquas, Pumas v Bulls.
Log (all teams have played 11 matches):
Cheetahs 38, Sharks 38, Pumas 35, Western Province 31, Griquas 28, Bulls 27, Golden Lions 26, Griffons 9.