Ackermann on what will give Bulls the extra edge
The Bulls had a taste of what that winning momentum feels like, and now they want more.
The Pretoria franchise recorded a hard-fought 19-17 comeback win over Edinburgh in their United Rugby Championship Round 10 match at Hive Stadium on Friday – marking their second consecutive victory on tour.
That followed a 26-24 win over a second-string Pau outfit in the Champions Cup, a result that ended a seven-match losing streak and secured the Bulls a place in the Round of 16.
The win in Scotland keeps the Bulls on track for a URC play-off spot ahead of the derby against the Lions and the upcoming break.
After trailing by 12 points at half-time, the Bulls produced a composed and relentless second-half display to snatch a crucial win. However, they were left to rue several missed opportunities, having butchered multiple 22-metre entries through handling errors and poor decision-making.
Head coach Johan Ackermann admitted that improvement in that area is essential if they want to progress to the play-offs.
“We all strive for that perfect game where every 22-metre entry you finish, so that is a big work-on,” Ackermann told reporters.
“I think the first positive is that we made them [Edinburgh] work in that first half. Even though we made some silly errors and created opportunities for them, we really made them work.
“And then in the second half, we got what we needed. It was early points just to get back in the game. We missed a fair bit of opportunities. We had a few penalties, line-out mauls and scrums, but the composure was probably the big thing.
“We played in an area where we could have controlled the game, and when it counted, we got the points that we needed.
“But in the future, we have to be more clinical.”
The Bulls coach stressed the importance of consistency across the full 80 minutes.
“You seldom will have all the momentum with you for 80 minutes or control the game for 80 minutes. But we can’t have those fluctuations, those massive highs and massive lows.
“If we can get more consistency in our 80 minutes overall and drop our error rate, that will help.”
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Ackermann was pleased with his side’s set-piece return, with the Bulls recording a 100 percent success rate at scrum time and 83 percent at line-outs.
“Early on, we got the dominance [at the scrums] and then there were one or two where they got a little bit back on us.
“I think the one five metres out when they carried over was one that we have to finish. Then we went into a spell in the first half where we lost three line-outs.
“It was just one- or two-timing things. But in a close game like that, it’s small margins.
“But when it counts, when we had to get the line-out and when we had to score more tries and things, it worked. So yes, there are pleasing moments.”
He also praised his players’ composure and belief under pressure, especially trailing 5-17 at the break.
“They’re tough at the breakdown. They contest every breakdown, so we had to clean that up and make sure we get our ball because they obviously slow your ball down. Everything that we spoke about, the players really executed in the second half.
“Credit to the players. We spoke about it earlier – there was no panic. There was a massive belief that we could turn it around.”
The Bulls now turn their attention to the Lions, whom they face at Ellis Park. The Johannesburg side claimed victory the last time the teams met at Loftus Versfeld.
“We just go in and embrace the challenge,” Ackermann said, adding: “They were very good at Loftus.
“It’s a massive challenge for us to now go to Ellis Park and see if we can get a result.”
