The alarming stats in Bulls' worrying losing streak
The Bulls are in an alarming downward spiral, and their 5-50 capitulation against Northampton Saints in a Champions Cup encounter at Franklin’s Gardens at the weekend is a manifestation of the franchise’s untreated ills.
They have lost five of their last six matches, with the ‘win’ a one-point (28-27) squeaker over Connacht in Galway.
All the early-season promise has evaporated after the arrival of Johan Ackermann.
United Rugby Championship losses to Glasgow Warriors and the Lions were followed by Champions Cup defeats against Bordeaux Begles and Northampton Saints.
Add the 7-28 submission to Ulster, the week before that Connacht result, and a pattern begins to emerge.
The performance in Northampton, England, at the weekend is a case in point.
The new head coach did his best to put a coat of veneer on the disturbing picture.
“We have to take responsibility,” Ackermann said in his post-match reaction, adding: “It is just not good enough at the moment.”
He alluded to the ‘lesson’ his team was taught about the kicking game required in European conditions.
And they were certainly taught a harsh lesson by England stars Fin Smith (flyhalf) and Alex Mitchell (scrumhalf).
However, the real problem is closer to home, as the match statistics reveal in brutal reality.
As the saying goes: ‘Defence is an indication of attitude.’
The Franklin Garden’s performance is a sad indictment of some players’ attitude.
The 20 missed tackles, with a tackle completion rate of mid-80 percent, are already alarming.
However, it is the individual stats that will be of concern to a coach who is doing his best to ‘right a listing ship’.
The flyhalf channel became a turnstile in the second half.
It will raise even more questions about the mid-season recruitment of Kade Wolhuter, which has not yet been satisfactorily answered.
Wolhuter topped the stats in three categories, all for the wrong reasons.
He missed the most tackles in the match; his out-of-hand kicking was alarmingly wretched, with disastrous consequences, and his game management also left a lot to be desired.
The Bulls could not exit effectively, pointing to the performances of the flyhalf and scrumhalf, resulting in the team losing the territory battle and constantly being under pressure.
The most disturbing were the occasions where Wolhuter failed to find touch from a penalty and allowed Saints an ‘easy’ exit.
Ackermann also spoke of ‘discipline’ and ‘individual mistakes’.
The yellow card of replacement prop Alulutho Tshakweni, whether he was provoked or not, could so easily have been a red card.
Go ask Eben Etzebeth about the folly of retaliation!
You also have to wonder how much longer seasoned players like Elrigh Louw (a match-high 17 tackles), Marcell Coetzee, and Nizaam Carr will be prepared to put their bodies on the line when tackling appears to be ‘optional’ for some backline players.
Ackermann, courteous as always, admitted his team has a serious problem.
“We are in a big fight at the moment to get out of this hole,” Ackermann said.
“We are with our backs against the wall in both competitions,” he said of the Champions Cup and URC.
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