Pote steps in to give the pack some direction

It was a case of blood, sweat and tears for the Bulls scrum this week as forwards coach Pote Human made it clear that a repetition of the poor setpiece performance against the Brumbies last weekend would not be tolerated on Saturday.

The Bulls forwards were mercilessly put through more than 40 scrums in scorching heat by the coaching staff to ensure they can meet the challenge posed by the Waratahs in Sydney this weekend. Human was horrified by the performance of the much vaunted Bulls pack in the scrums against the Brumbies.

The strong Bulls pack was shoved backwards a few times on their own ball in a manner that would cause tears in the stands at Loftus Versfeld.

"That was by far the worst performance by a Bulls pack in the set pieces since I took over coaching the forwards," said Human. "I told the players that in no uncertain terms after the game and they were very disappointed by their own performance. It was nowhere near the best that they could give and yesterday they realised what their penance would be.

"It was blood and sweat as they were put through 40 scrums. It was tough, but they impressed me with their determination and attitude. They took out their frustrations on the scrum machine and not on me, so it showed they wanted to put things right."

The Bulls were shoved back three times in the game, and lost a number of lineouts on their own throw in their 19-7 win over the Brumbies.

The Waratahs have a much bigger pack than the Brumbies, a better scrum and good lineout jumpers and another faltering performance would be fatal this weekend.

"The lineouts were simply a case of bad throwing in and bad support play and we know the Waratahs have a much better lineout waiting for us this weekend. We struggled in the scrums because Danie Thiart is not a recognised tighthead but we are without our first choice tightheads at the moment. I think that was the reason why we didn't get enough right shoulder in the game and couldn't dominate like we normally do."

The Bulls have worked hard on discipline, a lapse in which almost cost them dearly in the second half against the Brumbies and the players know yellow cards are a no-no.