For long the bastion of a structured approach to rugby, the Blue Bulls are flirting with an attacking mindset.
Bulls captain Pierre Spies suggested as much at the launch of their latest jersey for the Super Rugby season on Thursday.
“You want to create an attacking mindset within the players, and in a lot of ways the guys have felt restricted and also bound themselves to the plan that was on the table,” Spies said in Pretoria.
“That is never how it should have been, the plan is to create an environment where we can go out and play rugby.
“The big thing is to cultivate and attacking mindset and an enjoyment of the game.”
The Bulls have been the pace-setting South African team in the previous decade where they won an unprecedented three Super Rugby titles.
Sport24
Key to their success was what Bulls coach Frans Ludeke refers to as a kick and suffocate game.
Ludeke said on Wednesday that the side would be looking to employ a more balanced approach.
He said emphasis would be placed on improving the players’ skill-set while they needed more players on their feet to give them attacking options.
“If we are carrying extra weight it’ll slow the game down and the way want to play,” Spies said.
“So we want to put some speed on the ball, we want a lot more of a running game, we want to put a lot more running metres on our legs.
This approach would require a greater level of fitness and the Bulls had already started to with their pre-season training to get the squad up to standard.
“This is a vital stage of our training because you really build your fitness base,” Spies said.
“Because Super Rugby is going straight through next year we will not have that break.
“You want to give yourself the best start possible, so if you want to be the best you have to be the fittest.”
Spies had been sidelined during the 2014 season after he injured his biceps after only featuring in the first Super Rugby match against the Sharks back in February.
The Springbok eighthman was confident that he would be fully fit for the start of next year’s competition and he would once again captain the side.
“It’s been a long year, so in many ways I am excited about the year ahead and I am slowly fazing myself back in,” Spies said.
“It is obviously going to take some time to find my feet but I am really excited and I am looking forward to a great year with the Bulls.
“I don’t want to rush it with the risk of getting injured again but at this stage the plan is to be back by the first Super Rugby game.”
Dit sit nie in Frans Ludeke se broek of in Pierre Spies se broek om meer Bal-in-hand rugby te speel nie.
Wat selfs nog meer kommerbaar is, is dat Spies klaar weer aangestel is as Bulls kaptein vir 2015. In my opinie behoort hy nie eers plek te kry in die beginspan nie!!
Losvoorspelers wat ek sou kies is:
Oopkant Flank – Deon Stegmann & Wiaan Liebenberg
Blindekant Flank – Lappies Labuschagne & Jacques du Plessis
Agstemanne – Arno Botha en eers daarna Pierre Spies
Ek dink voor die Bulle begin praat oor meer aanvallend speel of oor meer bal-in-hand rugby, moet hulle EERS PRAAT oor balvaardighede en die uitskakel van die mees basiese hanteringsfoute… damn dit het ons gepooitjie in 2014!!
Ons gaan maar net weer in 2015 sit met verkeerde losvoorspeleropsies en alhoewel Jono Ross genadiglik weg is om ander weivelde te gaan besoedel, gaan ons opgeskeep sit met ‘n kaptein wat nie die basiese funksies kan doen nie.
😆 The new fad of SA rugby
grootblousmile wrote:
Jy weet nooit nie, met Jono sit Frans met leë hande
Nou kan hy met ‘n Spies in die hand sit en Britney met sy bal
Ek het geweet die Bulls kan talent werf maar Jono was die kersie op die koek
Om ‘n perfekte plaasvervanger vir Britney, die grootste passasier in die land, te kry sou vir enige unie moeilik gewees het, maar nie vir die Bulle nie. Xander van Rensburg kon hom met Jono vervang sonder om te sukkel
@ Victoriabok:
Almal praat deesdae van bal in hand rugby man, dit beteken boggerol.
Met Spes daar in 2013 was ons goed oppad na n home finaal toe, als het uitmekaar geval toe Spiertier seerkry. Die bulle het nie n leier nie, almal is kak deurmekaar want Flip is Kaptein maar Matfield is coach… Een ding wat spies sal doen is om die ouens in die span agter hom te kry al is hy na 2010 n “passasier”.
MacroBok wrote:
Ja as jy kyk na die stats sal jy sien die AB’s skop die meeste
En kyk hoe goed het bal in die hand vir ons teen Ierland gewerk?
MacroBok wrote:
Spies organiseer die lynstane en is ook ‘n ekstra lysnstaanopsie
Jy’s reg hy hou die jong outjies bymekaar, ons het baie spelers verloor
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15/Settled-squad-pleases-Ludeke-20141126
“A sobering statistic is the fact that the union had lost 50 top players over the last three years, starting with the loss of 10 stalwarts at the end of 2011”
Maar hy doen nie die harde werk nie, dis hoekom HM hom nie eers oorweeg nie
4 @ MacroBok:
Stem saam dat Spies in daai tyd die span bymekaar gehou het, verskil nou is dat Matfield terug is, en almal weet hy is eintlik die kaptein en leier.
Ha ha, chirp of the day, Sharks not worthy….
Attachment:
@ nortie:
Hallo Nortie
@ Victoriabok:
Hoesit VB
Have you seen this?
https://twitter.com/hashtag/putoutyourbats?src=hash
http://www.sport24.co.za/Multimedia/Cricket/Putyourbatsout-for-Phil-Hughes-20141128
@ Victoriabok:
Touching gesture….very sad incident
nortie wrote:
Barney got bitch slappped
MacroBok wrote:
Ek dog jy’s ‘n Stormer?
Victoriabok wrote:
MacroBok/MacroBull is so blou soos die ballas agter n Toyota Bakkie in Menlo Park.
Hoekom dink jy hy veg so hard om HM se reputasie hier te beskerm?
Ha ha
Attachment:
nortie wrote:
HG’s front door?
8 @ nortie:
So, the Sharkies DO rate the Conference Cup, after all. This when we (Stormers) were told that it was a “nothing cup” when we won it two years in a row.
Apparently, John Smit did not receive that memo.
Nama wrote:
It’s a consolation prize
Barney needs anything to show a modicum of success
Victoriabok wrote:
Barney needs anything to show a modicum of success
Should read
Barney need to show some success, anything would do
Even the participation cup
@ Victoriabok:
He won the CC last year a few months after he started as CEO of the sardines.
Guess it was too late to mention that as well since it has been taken away from them by that midgets from Kaapfontein.
Victoriabok wrote:
Tot almal se telleurstelling was Spies nie oorweeg omdat hy beseer was… ons sal sien wat gebeur as hy fiks is.
15 @ nortie:
Ek is okay met kritiek, almal is krities oor sekere spankeuses, dit is part and parcel. Maar ek het nie op my bek geval as mense begin onredelik raak nie.
14 @ Victoriabok:
Fokket, dis n belediging en n half 👿
MacroBok wrote:
Dis jou eie skuld
Vir wat pos jy ‘n video clip van Kolbe?
‘n Ware Bulls ondersteuner kan nie spelers onder 90kg raaksien nie 😛
@ Victoriabok:
😳 okay okaay my kop sak in skaamte, sal nie weer gebeur nie.
Best wishes, Pat.
http://www.brumbies.com.au/News/Article/tabid/1213/ArticleID/14301/McCabe-tackling-life-after-rugby.aspx
I see that Toulon have accepted the Sharks challenge.
Who’s got egg on their face now?
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