Bulls aim to be fitter and faster
The Bulls won't give too much away, but they will look to improve the tempo of their game when they take on the Cheetahs in a Super Rugby pre-season trial in Polokwane on Saturday.
Speaking to rugby365, ahead of the 260-kilometre trip north from Pretoria to the capital of the Limpopo province, Ludeke said they will look to 'trial' the aspects of their game that they worked on in the off-season.
"Conditioning has been a major part of our pre-season build-up," the Bulls mentor said.
He added that they have worked hard on being more mobile as a team and to get into position much quicker.
"Often that is a major reason why you can't execute your gameplan properly," he said, adding: "You don't get into position and don't get there in numbers on attack and in defence."
The improved conditioning will certainly be tested in the heat and humidity of this northern province, where it is not uncommon to have temperatures in the mid 30s (°C) in January.
The Bulls also made some adjustments in the off-season, technically and tactically, and will look to see how that stands up to the pressure of a match situation.
"Those aren't big changes, but things we know can improve us as a team," Ludeke told rugby365.
"The breakdown has been a big focus, while our set piece – how we win possession – was another priority for us.
"On defence we want to make sure that in contact we dominate.
"We also looked at ways of getting more turnovers to create broken play, as that is one aspect of the game that always creates that uncertainty."
The Bulls mentor added that they have a large group of players who worked hard in the off-season and will look to give them exposure.
"We have players who have come back from injury and some young guys who are coming in that we want to give some game time, with experienced players around to guide them.
"There are also the new guys who came in, who we want to get settled in the team."
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 William Small-Smith, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Deon Stegmann (captain), 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jacques du Plessis, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements – from: Callie Visagie, Morné Mellett, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Grant Hattingh, Roelof Smit, Nardus van der Walt, Arno Botha, Piet van Zyl, Tian Schoeman, Dan Kriel, Ulrich Beyers, Duncan Matthews, Jurgen Visser.
Cheetahs: 15 Coenie van Wyk, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Jacobus Jonker, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Joe Pietersen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Tienie Burger, 6 Jean Cook, 5 Francois Uys (captain), 4 Lodewyk de Jager, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Danie Mienie.
Replacements – from: Burrie Uys, Ewald van der Westhuizen, Nicolaas van Dyk, Stephan Coetzee, Carl Wegner, Carel Greeff, Armandt Koster, Tian Meyer, Francois Brummer, Ryno Benjamin, Teboho Mohoje, Clayton Blommetjies, Willie le Roux.
Date: Saturday, January 24
Venue: Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Ben Crouse
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
