VIDEO: Wiese reveals Bulls' plans without their Bok lock
VIDEO: The Bulls will face Connacht in Galway on Saturday without their two specialist line-out generals but Cobus Wiese has revealed who will make the calls.
The Irish team (fifth) is just one point below the third-placed Bulls but going into this encounter, the men from Pretoria will have to do so without the services of Reinhardt Ludwig and Springbok lock Ruan Nortje due to injuries.
Wiese was asked how the Bulls would manage without these crucial players, but the utility forward said there was enough depth within the squad to counter those realities.
He also revealed that lock JF van Heerden will take control in the line-outs at number five.
“It’s hard losing Ruan [Nortje] and Reinhardt [Ludwig] because they are usually the main line-out callers but luckily we’ve been building some depth in the squad,” Wiese said.
“JF van Heerden will start at five this weekend and he will take charge of the line-outs.
“I am not too worried about it. I think if we execute our jobs, whether you are a lifter, doing the job right or a jumper and then the hookers putting the ball on the money.
“We’ve got exceptional jumpers in the team and good hookers, so if we execute well it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
Wiese spent a big chunk of his career at Sale Sharks before joining the Bulls in July 2024 and has first-hand experience of the extreme weather conditions as well as playing on harder artificial surfaces.
“It’s good having experience. There are a couple of Premiership teams that have artificial pitches so we know by now that the ball bounces a bit differently.
“It’s usually a quicker-paced game if the weather and handling allows it.
“It’s helpful to know that it’s a bit more unpredictable.
“That information can be shared with the team and you can theme your week around it or build your plan around the ball bouncing,” he added.
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Connacht challenges
Wiese says the Bulls team has spoken at length about the varied challenges they will be against in Galway, particularly the physicality of the Westerners.
“We have spoken a lot about Connacht.
“We expect them to be physical and to run the ball a lot. We are coming into their home so they will be up for a good fight.
“I think matching them physically is going to be our biggest challenge.
“All teams are physical but Connacht is a team that prides itself on their physicality. Running straight, setpiece, a good hard defence so regardless of the weather, if you don’t front up against Connacht they can run away with the game before you know it,” he explained.
He added: “We have to earn the right to go wide. First things first, you have to go through them to go around them.
“They will test us defensively and it’s about our work rate to soften them up time after time.
“We don’t have any excuses like we don’t know what is coming. And that is a strong position to be in.
“So a win away from home will be massive. It might not look like much now but it will mean a lot at the end of the season.”
