AUDIO: 'Not an excuse' - Ackermann unveils Bulls' challenges ahead of Glasgow clash
REACTION: Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann was left in limbo regarding the availability of players due to illness ahead of their Champions Cup Round of 16 encounter against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.
The Bulls showed tremendous fight and were in the game right until the end, only to agonisingly go down 21-25 to Franco Smith’s Warriors.
Ackermann’s troops weren’t given much of a chance to cause an upset at Scotstoun Stadium, but showed their class and determination despite the fact that their preparation wasn’t ideal.
The Bulls mentor revealed that he had a challenging week in terms of selection after a few key players were down with illness until the last minute.
“First of all, I’m extremely proud of the effort the players put in tonight [Saturday]. It’s been a challenging week,” Ackermann said.
“Not to use it as an excuse, but we had a couple of challenges in terms of the player’s health status.
“There were several players sick earlier this week and even yesterday [Friday] and today [Saturday].
“There were times we weren’t sure if Harold [Vorster] or Handré [Pollard] would be available for selection, but I don’t want to make excuses.”
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Ackermann praised the character his troops displayed in tough conditions away from home and pinpointed the areas he felt cost the Bulls a potential victory.
“The players showed me again the character that we have, and I’m proud of the fight they showed in tough conditions.
“We weren’t far from getting the victory. Although it hurts a lot for the fact that we are out of the Champions Cup.
“A loss is never easy to take, especially if you’ve put in a lot of effort.
“My feeling regarding the game is that we started reasonably well, but didn’t use all our opportunities in Glasgow’s 22.
“Our restart exits also gave Glasgow soft entries, as well as our ill-discipline, which gave them territory and possession.
“Credit to them for converting their opportunities into points, but we also stayed in the fight by scoring as well.
“There were vital moments where we didn’t finish [our opportunities] by making mistakes.”
“Overall, I feel the biggest thing for us was our [ill] discipline, but there was a lot of character and fight, and that’s the ultimate we can ask from the players.
“There are obviously things we have to fix, but the competition is now done and dusted, as much as it hurts, and we’ll shift our focus now to the URC.”
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