VIDEO: Bulls' tweaked travel schedule to revive Champions Cup campaign?
The Bulls camp hopes their extra day in France will serve as a blueprint for securing their first Champions Cup win of the season.
The Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers return to European action under heavy scrutiny, with all three underperforming in the world’s elite club competition.
Only the Sharks tasted victory in the opening two rounds, with the Bulls and the Stormers pointless and on the verge of missing out on the last 16 ahead of this weekend’s third round of matches.
The Pretoria side is currently fifth in Pool 3 and will take on Castres at the Stade Pierre-Fabre on Saturday.
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A third defeat could end their European campaign.
However, one thing that the Bulls hope will aid their performance in France, is their adjusted travelling programme.
The Bulls usually arrive in Europe on a Tuesday, but this time the team arrived in France on Monday – giving them an extra day to get climatise with the weather conditions.
The team is currently in Toulouse and will take a bus trip to Castres later in the week.
“We travelled on Sunday evening and arrived on Monday morning, and have settled in well,” Bulls forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels said.
“It was a direct flight to Paris, so we have no complaints about travel. We are preparing for the game in Toulouse [in the south of France], and will travel to Castres on Friday.”
The Bulls are on a four-match losing streak in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup and their desperation to return to winning ways could instigate a major turnaround for their season.
“Ending the losing streak is massive to us,” he said.
“We have not had great results in recent games, and we want to change that and get some momentum going into the season.
“We always go into the match, wanting to win it. I don’t think there is another goal for us.
“It will be a big statement to make if we can win this game, and turn things around in the Champions Cup for us.”
When asked about the criticism the South African teams cop for sending understrength sides to Europe, the Springbok added: “We are not in the competition just to participate.
“We want to beat the top French and English clubs.
“It is a massive competition: the best club competition in the world. We are pushing hard, and have not sent a B side. We want to win games.”
‘No place to mess around’
Securing a win would be easier said than done, as Bulls face a tough 80 minutes in front of a compact 12,000 seater.
“They have beaten some big sides at home and won one of their two of their Champions Cup matches so far.
“We are up against a proper side. Good competition and we know they are good at home, so we are going to face a big battle on Saturday.
“We have some players who have played in France and know the grounds.
“French sides are always strong at home, and we know that it will be 12,000 fans shouting against us. It is no place to mess around. We have to be on top of our game.”
He added: “They’ve got a good kicking game, big forwards, and we want to really get tested and get the measurements right that we’re setting for ourselves.
“They’ve got a big pack, and scrums and maul-wise we’ve got to stand up and pride ourselves on a good outcome in both those areas as well.”
