Nomlomo pinpoints areas of concern for Bulls ahead of Stormers clash
REACTION: Bulls XV head coach Phiwe Nomlomo revealed the areas of concern for his team following their 52-62 defeat to the Cheetahs in Round Five of the Currie Cup on Sunday.
The Bulls found themselves down by 30 points at the break but showed a lot of heart to push the Cheetahs until the end of the second half, eventually going down by 10 points.
Whilst the comeback was impressive, Nomlomo couldn’t hide his disappointment following a fifth consecutive loss in the tournament, and highlighted where he felt things went wrong before the second-half turnaround.
“Disappointing once again,” Nomlomo said.
“The game was nearly done in the first half. We did well to claw back as well as we did, but it remains disappointing.
“The shining light is how we expressed ourselves during the second half. We had a lot more intent; we were direct, moved the ball well and looked after our breakdown.
“All of a sudden, we handled everything we wanted to in the game, but 40 minutes later.
“Had we done that a little earlier, I think we could’ve gotten a lot more out of the match for sure.
“We weren’t as accurate as we wanted to be during the first half. It looked like we lacked energy, which is unlike us, so those things were quite concerning.
“In the second half we changed it all together; that’s the part; it’s a mental game.”
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The Bulls’ next assignment is against the old foe in the form of the Stormers, who also suffered defeat to the Pumas on Saturday evening, putting their play-off hopes in jeopardy.
Nomlomo is under no illusion about what Tom Dawson-Squibb’s side will bring despite their poor form in recent weeks.
“Again, it’s a quick turnaround from Sunday to Friday. We must get bodies as fresh as possible.
“It’s going to be brutal. It’s a north-south derby, so it goes without saying that it will be another match full of intensity.
“It’s going to be fire. They’ll want to win here, and we’re desperate for our first win.
“They will want to keep their play-off chances alive, and we’ll be fighting to get a win, so it will be another humdinger for sure.”
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