The Bulls are hoping the last few weeks of work on discipline and execution under pressure will pay off as they will need to be at their best against a Stormers side that coach Russell Winter described as an almost perfect team.
The Bulls last played three weeks ago in a 37-28 loss to Scarlets in Llanelli, dropping to fourth in the United Rugby Championship standings. Meanwhile, the Stormers, in second place, have been in action for the past two weeks and put in an impressive performance to beat the Sharks 46-19 in Durban.
‘Stormers number 1 in SA’
“The Stormers’ performance against the Sharks showed that their DNA hasn’t changed and they are playing really good rugby. They are now the No.1 team in South Africa,” Winter said.
“He’s very balanced and brings a helluva lot. So we have to have our A game if we want a result, and there are a lot of things to neutralize.
“The Stormers have an amazing set-piece and a really good maul that works well against all teams. And of course there’s a scrum that – they have the Sharks under a helluva lot of pressure.
“His defense is also outstanding, he gets off the line and puts the team under a lot of pressure, forcing a lot of mistakes. And the attack is also well executed.
“So it sounds like a perfect side. They do the basics well and have found the Holy Grail of being able to pressure the team, force mistakes and then milk them,” said Winter.
Read more: Excitement in the air as Bulls return to Stormers URC derby
‘consistency’
To counter all that, the Bulls need to rediscover that trademark – ironically also the name of a restaurant linked to the Loftus Versfeld training ground but which has since closed – that made them the best side in South Africa not so long ago. They need to have a dominant pack, apply pressure, and also be more clinical with the ball in hand.
Read more: ‘Different bull at Loftus,’ says Stormers coach
“We knew if we could put together an 80-minute performance, it could be a really good game,” Winter said. “What’s most frustrating for us is the consistency of the way we play – there are amazing patches but then there are soft moments.
“We have tried to solve it, there are no penalties and silly mistakes. Our discipline really needs to be improved, we have to make sure we don’t give soft penalties because the pressure comes right back.
“We’ve been working hard over the last few weeks. It’s very important to limit our mistakes, not just penalties, but also sloppy mistakes and handling. The side that makes the fewest mistakes will go ahead and win the game,” said Winter.