Ashfak Mohamed
WHILE the Glasgow Warriors are top of the URC standings, it is the Bulls who have scored the most tries in the tournament this season.
Mind you, while Jake White’s team are on 68 touchdowns, Franco Smith’s Glasgow outfit are not far behind on 64.
The glaring difference between the two teams, apart from the seven log points, is the fact that the Scottish side have conceded only 23 five-pointers, the lowest in the URC, compared to the Pretoria outfit’s 43, which is the highest among the top five teams.
So, while the visitors may have their hands full trying to stop the Bulls attack at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (2pm kick-off), the hosts need to find a way to keep the Glaswegians at bay as well if they hope to stay in contention for a home semi-final.
In that regard, the return of Springboks Marco van Staden and Ruan Nortjé from injury this week will have a major impact in their bid to halt Glasgow’s momentum.
Van Staden’s breakdown prowess is well documented, while Nortjé has the ability to not only secure the Bulls’ own line-out, but also disrupt the opposition’s throw-ins.
The No 5 lock’s leadership will also be a boost, with Marcell Coetzee out for the rest of the season.
Nortjé is particularly wary of Glasgow’s driving maul.
“Glasgow have shown time and time again this season what they’re about. Overall, they play at an unbelievably high tempo, where they catch many teams off-guard, and it brought them a lot of success this season,” he said yesterday.
“Within a few minutes, they are seven or 10 points up, and it’s difficult to recover against such a quality team.
“They play extremely quickly, with quick line-outs, quick kick-offs, and that’s what we are preparing for. They are a very dynamic team, and I think they have scored the most tries when it comes to mauls.
“They have so many line-out variations, so that makes the preparation tough as you don’t know what to expect.
“They might come with a totally different plan this weekend, because they will be playing at altitude. But they are a quality team and can come with anything.
“They have good, strong ball-carriers, so it will be important for us to slow their ball down. We’ve seen that teams who have done that against them have got good rewards.”
But in the same breath, the Bulls boast some of the most explosive attacking talents in the world, including Springbok superstar Kurt-Lee Arendse, who must be brought into the game through more set moves instead of just relying on his individual brilliance.
In addition, Canan Moodie looked like his old self again at right wing in the 61-24 trouncing of the Ospreys a few weeks ago, and then there is also Willie le Roux, David Kriel and Embrose Papier as lethal threats at the back.
Getting in the MOODIE for this weekend 🔥🔥
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) May 7, 2024
🎟️TICKETS: https://t.co/Plur64boqe @Vodacom #URC #BackTheBulls | #KidsRound pic.twitter.com/aATZWNfXUp
The Bulls are renowned for their own up-tempo style of play at Loftus, but they must also ensure that they don’t allow Glasgow the freedom to control the pace of the game.
“Against Munster, at times they put us under pressure and played cleverly at certain times, by making the game extremely slow,” Nortjé said.
“That frustrated us, and we need to take control of the game into our hands and not allow them to dictate the game.
“At Loftus, we really want to play quick rugby, and certain teams from overseas try to make it slower and get under our skin.
“So, it’s important for us to stay cool and calm, and impose our game on them. It’s important not to forget what we want to do, and execute well and play the rugby that we can.”
THIS, till 2027 👀😍🔥#BackTheBulls | #DefendTheHerd pic.twitter.com/mLnbtcOCbn
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) May 7, 2024
Meanwhile, the Bulls announced yesterday that they had secured the services of both hooker Johan Grobbelaar and lock Ruan Vermaak on contract extensions up to June 2027.