Crucial fortnight for ambitious Bulls

Coming off a two-day team building exercise at Victoria Falls, ahead of their first pre-season friendly against the Cheetahs at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Saturday, Marais said he hopes to put the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle in place.

He described the trip to the world-famous tourist destination – where they took part in various team building exercises, included things such as white-water rafting – as a "great exercise".

However, now the pre-season build-up kicks into a much higher gear – with the Cheetahs this week and the Lions next set to test all aspects of their game.

"It is important to determine our depth and the areas we need to address," Marais told rugby365 in an interview from Zimbabwe.

"We need to ensure everything is in place," he said.

He said that while they will be structured in their approach, there will also be a "mix" of things we will try in different areas of the game.

"This is the time to try things," he said, adding: "We have to ensure those things [tactics] work now.

"It won't help us anything to try it out against the Stormers [in the opening round on February 27].

"I would like to see that everything is in place and everybody understands and read the game right. That I can only determine in the game on Saturday.

"Yes, the next two weeks will be crucial, because then we can see what your depth is and where your top players are at."

While the Bulls won't be concentrating too much on the Cheetahs and what they are doing, Marais said he knows coaching rival Franco Smith well enough to expect an expansive approach.

"They do encourage their players to play what is in front of them and  make off-loads," he told rugby365.

"He [Cheetahs coach Franco Smith] enjoys a continuity game, so our defence will be tested."

By Jan de Koning

@King365ed

@rugby365com