Bulls backing their defence
The Bulls' chances of a successful start to their Australasian tour will hinge on their ability to rein in the hard-running Blues in Auckland on Friday.
Bulls captain Pierre Spies, speaking in a teleconference call from Auckland where they are preparing for the Round 14 encounter at Eden Park, said he is confident his team's defence is up to the challenge.
The Blues currently rank second in Super Rugby for defenders beaten, even though they have just two wins from 12 starts and sit third from bottom on the table.
However, the Bulls – who rank fourth in the competition for tackle success rate (87.8), behind the Chiefs (88.9), Lions (88.3) and Hurricanes (88.1) – feel their win over the Lions before last week's bye showed their defence is up to standard.
"When you play New Zealand teams it is always physical and fast games," Spies said, adding: "Playing the Blues will be no different."
He said the Bulls would be tested defensively against an attack-minded Blues side.
"They [the Blues] can keep the ball in hand and put a lot of pressure on you. When they have the ball they can be a very dangerous side," Spies said.
"I believe we've come a long way with our defence.
"[In] our last game the Lions put us under a lot of pressure, because they also keep the ball very well.
"We believe in our defensive system and the guys are working really hard – they defend for each other.
"We just need to take that into the game and if we can have a good tackle percentage we can keep the pressure on them when they attack."
Spies said while they always have a week-to-week approach, they are aware of the bigger picture – the need to secure homeground advantage in the play-offs.
The Bulls, who have won only once in Auckland, during their last visit in 2013, have a very poor record in New Zealand – where they have won just seven from 42 matches.
However, if they hope to finish in the top two and avoid travelling in the play-offs, they must beat the Blues this week.
If they succeed, the Bulls will overtake the Stormers at top in the South African conference.
Spies is adamant they have the personnel to get enough points on tour and keep them in the race for a top-two finish.
"The team we have now is really well-balanced," the Bulls captain said, adding: "We've played some good rugby this year and I feel we've been unlucky with a few results.
"We did speak about the bigger picture and we want to be in those semifinals and earn a home semi, so that is what we are aiming for.
"But it is a week-for-week thing and it is important that we go into this tour with the right mind-set. It is possible to have a very successful tour and hopefully we can have a good start on Friday. "
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@SuperRugby
