North-South derby: Bulls ready to 'tighten the screws'
The Bulls will look to end a four-match losing streak against the Stormers when they host their arch-rivals in a #BIG North-South United Rugby Championship derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Three of those defeats were in Cape Town, but the Bulls have not lost at home since February 2022.
The Stormers have played their three most recent matches away from home, losing two of them.
As defending champions the second-placed Stormers, who trail Irish giant Leinster by 11 points, are determined to cement their spot at the top of the South African conference.
However, Saturday’s Loftus face-off is just as important to the fourth-placed Bulls – making it a possible South African conference decider.
Should the Stormers win, the result would put them 14 or 15 points clear in the domestic conference with just four games to play.
It will ensure the hype around the Round 14 encounter in Pretoria will reach fever pitch by the time kick-off arrives at 17.00 South African time.
Bulls scrum coach Werner Kruger said North-South derbies are always physical, with set-piece dominance at the heart of either team’s hopes of success.
“We under no illusion that it will be a tough task up front,” the four-times capped Springbok said.
Even without Springbok stars Frans Malherbe and Steven Kitshoff in the front row, their scrum remains a powerful unit.
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“It is a big challenge for us,” Kruger said, adding: “In derbies like this they are very fine and we need our set piece to function at an optimal level.
“This is one week where we really need top focus and make sure our set pieces function well.”
With just three homes games in the last few months – a 45-9 URC win over Cardiff on December 3, a 42-35 European Cup win over Lyon on December 10 and a 39-28 win over the highly-rated Exeter Chiefs on January 14 – the Bulls are happy to be back at Fort Loftus.
Given the expected wet conditions and slippery underfoot, the set pieces will require some tactical adjustments.
Kruger said cutting out excessive ‘movement’ is going to be key to successful set pieces.
“The more movement there is, the bigger the chances are of somebody slipping,” he said of the set pieces, adding: “In those conditions, you are not able to throw 20- to 30-metre passes.
“Everything tightens up a little bit if it is that wet.”
He said that regardless of the conditions, it is vital for the team to “stick to their structures” and not to attempt anything you haven’t worked on in training.
“The better we get our systems working on the day, the better it will be for us.”
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