VIDEO: 'No motivation needed, Bulls will step up' says Nortje
VIDEO: The Bulls have no lack of motivation to step up and get back to winning ways when they host Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday says Bok lock Ruan Nortje.
After a poor run in the Champions Cup where they have yet to win a game, beating the French side would only bring back confidence for the franchise.
The best the Bulls can come away with in this competition is a fifth position in Pool Three if they can ensure the opposition does not score a losing bonus point.
Nortje made a strong statement in the Boks’ engine room last season which saw him assist the team to the Rugby Championship title but he in November he got injured while training for the end-of-year tour.
The 26-year-old is set to captain the Bulls again after recovering from a serious hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the last two months.
He said he is eager to get back into action and it all starts this weekend against Stade Francais.
Asked if there would be a lack of motivation going into this game as they have nothing to gain, even if they do win and bag five points from the showdown, Nortje was adamant the team needed the game to get back to better form.
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“The last few games were not our best. The biggest thing for us this week was getting our rhythm back and finding some continuity in training.
“If you play for a franchise like the Bulls and you haven’t had a good run, that’s enough motivation for any player.
“We know we have to step up and deliver for the people of Pretoria and our franchise,” he added.
“From this week on we are just taking it game for game. Just working hard to get the result this weekend and then we will focus on next weekend,” the Springbok said.
After this weekend the Bulls switch focus to the United Rugby Championship with a fixture against the Lions.
Looking ahead at the game this weekend, Nortje was full of praise for the Parisians, a team that has a “massive focus” on their mauls.
“[Stade Français] get a lot of ascendency from their forward pack in the lineout and mauls. If they get a front foot there they are very dangerous in attack.
“Our focus is to try and stop their maul. It will be a big set-piece battle. Their locks are quality players. They are very good in contesting for the ball so we will have to try to put them under pressure in the lineouts.”
