The Bulls impressive home record was dashed this weekend by the most unlikely team.
Most fans will probably still try and make sense of the shocking defeat the reigning Super rugby champions, the Bulls, suffered on the weekend at the hands of the Highlanders.
The Highlanders has had a dream Super rugby start in 2011. Usually regarded as the weakest of the New Zealand franchises they have now dispensed of the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Bulls in 3 successive weekends.
Of course all coaches and players will tell you no team should be taken lightly in this competition, but I do not think one South African supporter expected the Highlanders to end an extremely impressive home record of 20 wins by the Bulls at fortress Loftus.
Comments from the coaches and players following the defeat also suggest that they are themselves unsure exactly where it went wrong.
At least they are making the right noises. There will be no panic or no re-inventing the formula which has made this team the best Super rugby team in the last 5 years, but rather introspection on why the execution let them down on the day.
It is very easy for fans and media to criticise the Bulls and their management, but we tend to forget that a mere 20 minute, or 30 minute lapse in concentration where you are performing at 5 or 10% below the level you are usually measured, is enough for any team to snatch victory from you.
The fact that the Bulls through such a poor performance still came within one pass of levelling matters on Saturday shows you that fixing the problems does not require a major shift in strategy, rather application. But truth be told, the Bulls have performed way below par in all three games of the tournament
An article I read on Monday suggested that the Bulls will be looking at why they are not getting the best out of their players, or why they are not performing at their usual high standard, and for me that is exactly the right way to go about things.
The most irritating aspect of the game was to see Bulls captain, Victor Matfield, and other senior players specifically Fourie du Preez losing their cool with referee Stuart Dickenson.
Stu did not have the best day in the office that much is true, but Matfield and Du Preez amongst other senior players should know better than to let those instances get the better of them. Not only do they start to lose focus but the junior players takes their cue from these guys resulting in the whole team to react with frustration and ultimately lose focus as a team.
Two best examples of this was one instance where Deon Stegmann, who in my view tried to steal a ball illegally, got so frustrated when the scrum was awarded to the Highlanders, threw the ball hard into the ground in disgust.
The second instance is a measure to which you can gauge any team’s focus and discipline, defense, and on the day the Bulls missed a staggering 22 tackles over and above 19 handling errors and 17 unforced errors – and these are all aspects of the game you cannot blame on the referee no matter how hard you try.
Ultimately, the Bulls can only look to themselves as a team and as individuals and ask why they have let themselves down on the day, because it is not a lack of talent or ability that cost them this match.
Ironically, the thing to fix here is both the easiest, and most difficult thing to do as a rugby team – attitude.
Yes, this was a rude wake-up and shake-up!
… and maybe a timely one at that.
What frustrated the hell out of me was that the Bulls seemed to hang back in defence in stead of stepping up and forcing the defensive line on the other side of the advantage line… otherwise known as “In your face defence”.
As a result first time tackling was shoddy and the Highlanders found space with ease.
This all boils down to ATTITUDE, like you rightly say in the Article.
A number of Bulls players had a shocking game…. Victor, Stegmann, Dewald Potgieter, Pierre Spies, Fourie du Preez, Wynand Olivier, Jaco Pretorius…. all shoddy and sloppy, to say the least.
“the Bulls missed a staggering 22 tackles” i went on and on about the poor defense during the game. To me that was problem no one and blown up by the example the Highlanders set. They blew us away, drove over us and dominated that aspect of the game.
Kom nou, kom nou, kom nou, gaan terug in RT se archives in en julle sal sien ek het die val van Wynand Olivier al lankal voorspel, inteendeel, ek dink ek het ‘n hele artikel oor hom geskryf, en ek en Morne het selfs ‘n argument daaroor gehad. Olivier MOES dit verloor, dis ‘n gegewe, al wat hom ooit gered het, was die Bulls se span-sisteem, want, let’s face it, hy is ‘n crashball merchant, dis al wat hy kan doen. Skielik, val die span sisteem uitmekaar, en daar staan hy in die spotlight, met ‘n teddiebeer onderbroek.
My persoonlike opinie oor Pierre Spies en Deon Stegmann is wyd en suid bekend, ek het Spies nog nooit sien oortuig in ‘n vaste game nie, en sy tackling sal nie eers Varsity Cup spanne afskrik nie, het nog nooit. Stegmann was beseer met die bekendstelling van die nuwe reels, en net soos ons met Heinrich Brussow gaan sien, kan hy nie aanpas nie, daar is nie meer plek vir spelers soos hy in ‘n span-setup nie, flanke van vandag MOET alles kan doen en almal weet Jaco Pretorius is ‘n plonker.
Wat ek NIE geweet het nie, is dat almal my reg sou bewys in dieselfde wedstryd. Fourie du Preez het meet met Dickinson gepraat as met sy voorspelers, Matfield was pleinweg onbeskof gewees, Stegmann se houding is heeltemal onaanvaarbaar, selfs Hugh Bladen wat die Bulle se 2de Steve Hofmeyr was, het sy spel op die grond gekritiseer, lank voor sy geel kaart.
Ek dink dis ‘n skande dat die Bulls hulself swakker as ‘n laerskool span gedra het. Ek sou niks oor die verloor se nie, want ek wil nie he iemand moet iets se as my span later verloor nie. Maar die optrede van Bulls spelers wat veronderstel om SA se rugby-ambassadeurs te wees, was skokkend.
@ The Saint:
nou kom ek se jou ek voel al lankal net soos jy oor WO oor Jean de Villiers, hy doen f$&all. Daai Stormer agterlyn is nou so impotent soos die Springbokke was onder die UWE AC. Waar is julle driee? Was daar darem amper een? Norreflok.
Jy het nou ons spelers lekker afgekraak , right do it. Ek se jou daai selfde speler gaan jou jou woorde laat sluk. Ja in die game was ons bietjie kwaai AF. Maar dit is meer n game plan wat glad nie wou werk nie want hy is nooit geimplementeer nie.
Dat die Bulle fokus verloor het is n feit soos n koei maar watch the comeback, en hahaha disdie Stormers wat dit gaan ontgeld.
superBul wrote:
Laasjaar was julle ook maar skaars oor die doellyn
@ superBul:
Wynand Olivier sal my NOOIT verkeerd bewys nie…hy was nie af nie, hy was maar sy gewone ou self, net onder pressure. Hy het dit gedoen as hy vir die Bokke speel, hy doen dit nou, ek kraak hierdie spelers nie van NOU af, af nie, ek se dit al dans julle almal sulke genot dansies as die plonkers iets goed doen, ek sal nie op ‘n span afgaan oor net een verloor nie, maar as hulle verloor oor spelers wat ek voorspel het, kuk gaan aanjaag, is dit ‘n ander storie.
Ek stem saam Jean de Villiers maak droog op die oomblik, maar ek het hom al gesien goed speel, Olivier kan net crashballs vat, sy hele loopbaan lank.
En ja, ons het nie laasjaar meer driee as julle gedruk nie, ons het wel al 5 NZ spanne gewen, wat julle nog nooit kon doen nie.
Nog ‘n ding Super, selfs nou nog, julle flokop was laat nie een van julle kan tackle nie, ons kon laasjaar, en ons kan nog steeds, as die ander span nie driee druk nie, hoef ons nie 20 te druk nie…kyk na julle defense stats, jaa OK, julle druk 5 driee ‘n game, maar julle staan 4 af ‘n game ook. Moet nou nie soos ‘n Leeu Supporter begin redeneer nie.
How bloody predictable Saint… I’m not even surprised.
@ The Saint:
aaagh jou farker jy moenie stry met my en verloor en varkoff vir maande nie. stats is my KOS.
Die feite is daar .
Bulls het hardloop rugby probeer, amper 50 punte ge avverage per game.5+ driee teen 3/4 maar gewen , toe besluit hulle nee gaan terug na strukture Toe staan hul minder driee per game af as die wonnerlike Stormers.
Maar die grootste ironie is die Stormers het mos nooit driee gedruk laasjaar nie, ja hul stats was mooi teen die Bulle se tweedes. Maar toe lek hulle aan die end baie meer driee as die Bulle in die laaste paar rondtes.
Moet ek dit vir jou wys?
the saint @ 3
😆 😆
super @ 4
lol, ja nê
daai game oor 2 weke het nou net meer persoonlik geraak nê?
Super
Ek sal nie farkoff nie, moenie stres nie, ek lees altyd, het net nie altyd iets te se nie, maar as ek iets se is dit net kak en hare…
hey gbs, gaan jy weer die teams in 1 thread opsit soos die afgelope paar weke?
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