Cape Town – After being embarrassed 63-15 by the Pumas at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday, the Blue Bulls were given a day-and-a-half off to lick their wounds.
Some fans would say that they should have been working on their game instead following such a massacre, but perhaps some time away from the field could also work.
But coach Edgar Marutlulle needs to find some solutions quickly, as the in-form Western Province will arrive in Pretoria this week for Friday’s Currie Cup clash at Loftus (7.05pm kickoff) after beating the Lions 44-28 at Ellis Park last weekend.
Here are five problem areas that the Bulls must fix to avoid another hiding…
1 Defence
It goes without saying that when you concede 63 points in any rugby match, there is a major problem with your defence. But when it’s at your home ground at the start of a new competition, then the issues are even bigger than previously thought.
Former Sharks head coach Sean Everitt has been brought in as the defence coach for the Currie Cup side, while director of rugby Jake White is in charge of that aspect for the URC team.
Maybe the messages got crossed last week, but it was a solid team that was selected, and the way the Pumas ran rings around the Bulls was not acceptable.
2 Halfbacks
Morné Steyn and Chris Smith should really not be playing Currie Cup rugby. Steyn is retiring at the end of June, and should only be operating in the URC team as required, while Smith is the first-choice in the absence of the injured Johan Goosen.
The Bulls should be blooding their most promising young flyhalf in the Currie Cup. Juan Mostert is a possible candidate, and then there is also Chris Barend Smit and Under-20 pivot Compion von Ludwig.
The same applies at scrumhalf, where Keagan Johannes and Bernard van der Linde are two exciting young prospects.
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3 Physicality and Mobility
Where have all the tough buggers at Loftus Versfeld gone? The Bulls were dominated physically by the Pumas, especially in the tackle, where the Mpumalanga side were able to get their offloads away and maintain continuity in attack.
It is one thing to be a big guy, but the forwards also have to be alert in the modern game, and the Bulls just seemed to be one step behind the Pumas.
There needs to be a better balance between selecting sizable forwards and those who are agile and possess the necessary skills too.
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4 Pace out wide
Despite Sbu Nkosi being a Springbok and Sibongile Novuka impressing this season, Pumas wings Jade Stighling and Sebastian de Klerk were brought into the game often, and they were much more of a threat with ball-in-hand every time they got possession.
There have been reports of De Klerk having signed a contract to join the Bulls next season, but the Bulls need to find some serious pace right now in their back-three – and end the Wandisile Simelane fullback experiment at the same time, as he is undoubtedly more effective at outside centre.
5 Leadership and game-plan
Steyn was the captain on the day for the Bulls, but surely a better option would be to choose a permanent skipper for the entire Currie Cup? Yes, players will go up and down to the URC side as well, but someone who is likely to feature mainly in the Currie Cup should be the leader, in order to establish norms and standards, grow with the team through the season and also have a clear understanding of the game-plan.
Instead of trying to match the Pumas’ all-out attacking strategy, the Bulls may have been better served by keeping things tight with their big pack.
@ashfakmohamed