Ackermann’s frustration after Bulls let Munster slip away

REACTION: The Bulls left Limerick empty-handed on Saturday after letting a winnable United Rugby Championship contest against Munster slip away at Thomond Park.

Johan Ackermann’s side had enough opportunities to claim another valuable away victory, but a combination of defensive lapses, poor execution and questionable decision-making ultimately cost them as Munster held on for a 26-22 win.

The Bulls had shown enough in attack to suggest they could have taken control of the match, but they repeatedly failed to make the most of promising situations. Their inability to maintain territory also allowed Munster to build pressure, while errors and penalties handed the hosts opportunities, they did not waste.

For Ackermann, the narrow defeat was particularly frustrating because the Bulls had given themselves a chance to win the game right until the closing stages. The coach was proud of the effort and defensive resilience, but felt his team had fallen short in the key moments that decide tight URC matches.

“I felt proud of the effort and proud of how the guys fought. We even gave ourselves a chance right at the end. If we could have scored a try, we could have come away with the win.

“But obviously I’m disappointed because it’s a game where you feel you could have easily got the result if one or two things had been better. Our execution, one or two finishing errors, and maybe our decision-making in the kicking and passing game.

“There were times when we should have passed but kicked, or when we were forced to pass when we should have kicked and vice versa. Then, obviously, the errors and knock-ons meant we lacked a bit of possession as well as territory.

“I haven’t got the stats yet, but it just felt like we played a lot of the game in the wrong areas because of our own errors or maybe some penalties.

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Ackermann rues missed opportunities

The Bulls’ territorial game was one of the biggest frustrations for Ackermann. Munster were able to apply pressure when the visitors failed to exit effectively or surrendered possession, forcing the Bulls to defend for long periods.

Despite that, Ackermann believed his defence kept them in the contest and prevented Munster from turning their pressure into a more comfortable victory.

“In the first part of the game, we defended really well. There were still parts in the second half where they could have easily run away with it, even though they probably didn’t feel like they were in control. They probably could have scored if we hadn’t defended so well.

“The soft tries they scored came off our errors. Then there were unfortunately two incidents missed by the TMO. One should have been a penalty for us and the other should have been our lineout, but they missed it and it ended up as a scrum for Munster. I think from that scrum they were rewarded with points later.

“So, it’s a pity that technology still gets it wrong.”

Ackermann also felt there was enough variety in the Bulls’ attacking approach, but they lacked the accuracy needed to turn promising opportunities into points.

“There was good variation in our attack, but our execution still wasn’t good enough. There were times when I felt we could have been a bit more direct instead of just trying to play.

“But when we got it right, we looked good, and unfortunately there were times when we just lacked those final touches. There are always areas to improve in attack, as well as a lot of other areas that we’ll keep working on.

“At half-time we felt we never really had the possession or territory. The times we did, we scored two tries, so we felt that if we just kept putting pressure on them and looking after the ball, we would get the upper hand.”

Bulls counting injury cost

The defeat also came at a physical cost, with several Bulls players requiring further assessment after the bruising encounter.

“On the injuries, we’ve got a few knocks. There are a few players who have to get scanned and rechecked on Monday or Tuesday – Stravino [Jacobs], Marcell [Coetzee], Thaakir [Abrahams] and Janco [Uys]. So, there are a few guys who have to be rechecked, and there are a lot of sore bodies.

“It was a tough night out on that front, but hopefully some of those injuries won’t be too serious, and the guys will be all right.”