Pienaar warns Bulls of former player Arno Botha
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Bulls assistant coach Pine Pienaar has placed a huge target on Lyon’s Arno Botha as the two teams prepare to go head-on-head on Friday.
The Bulls head to France to face Lyon in need of only one log point, which will see them qualify for the Round of 16 in the Champions Cup.
The Pretoria team kept their hopes of reaching knockout stages with an impressive 39-28 win over Exeter Chiefs in a Round Three clash at Loftus Versfeld.
The victory is a morale boost for the Bulls, who suffered a 14-44 defeat to the Premiership club at Sandy Park in Round Two.
However this weekend they face a different challenge.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bulls assistant coach Pienaar has urged his team to limit Lyon’s chances.
He also admitted that the former Bulls forward Botha could pose a huge threat to the team.
Botha joined the Top 14 side last year and has been incredible in France.
*Article continues below…
#REACTION: A lot of contests have been ruined 👇#ChampionsCup #Stormers #LIRvSTO https://t.co/vFIspwg02T
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) January 16, 2023
“We have to keep in mind that French flair is always there,” Pienaar said when asked about their upcoming opponents.
“I think if you going to give them time and space they will really punish you.
“Lyon specifically up front have massive ball carriers, – a guy like Arno Botha is in that pack – so for us it going to be a tough challenge, especially at their home.”
This is the first time in the season the Bulls will play in France. Thus far, the Stormers struggled in France and had to settle for a 14-24 defeat to Clermont in Round One, while the Sharks were forced to work hard for their narrow 19-16 win over Brive in Round Two.
Futherner more, the Bulls, who travel to France on Tuesday, also have to combat the very quick turnaround.
“We have a flight to Dubai and we will arrive in France on Wednesday, so it’s almost 26 to 28 hours of travel,” Pienaar said.
“But it is what it is, we just have to make sure we prepare well.
“Get some good sleep and recover well.”
He added: “I think the weather conditions will be very cold, very different from the warm weather conditions we have been experiencing at home.
“Furthermore we still have to deal with the synthetic 4G fields and we don’t really know which personnel they will field, but we focus on ourselves. “
#UPDATE: Good news for the @BlueBullsRugby and rugby fraternity #rugby #news #sports @URCOfficial @ChampionsCup https://t.co/rJqvuF1w6P
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) January 16, 2023
