Nollis Marais says the Bulls need to strike the fitting steadiness in play if they’re to turn their season around and contest for silverware.
The Bulls will tackle the Welsh facet, the Dragons in a United Rugby Championship conflict at Rodney Parade on Friday, when they may gun for a much-needed win to save their inconsistent season from whole derailment.
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This after the Bulls slumped to two defeats of their native derbies in opposition to the Stormers in Cape Town and Sharks in Durban over the festive season interval.
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Marais: Bulls should get it proper … shortly
At a press convention from the workforce’s lodge in Newport, assistant coach Marais stated the Bulls need to put these latest losses behind them and give attention to their robust upcoming schedule throughout each the URC and European Champions Cup.
“Jake spoke to the lads and he emphasised how important the result of the game [against the Dragons] would be for our campaign,” Marais stated.
“We came here to take home points. Although it is still a long competition, it is important not to lose too much momentum.”
“When we scrummed last year, we were literally afraid the first one was going to be a penalty against us,” Marais added.
“It’s gone a lot better with [consultant] Werner Kruger and the entrance rowers have turn into extra skilled.
“But we will’t deny that we struggled in opposition to the Sharks and Stormers. Still, it’s essential to word that you simply’re scrumming in opposition to the perfect entrance rowers in South Africa, if not the world, in guys like Kitsie [Steven Kitshoff], Ox [Nche], Bongi [Mbonambi] and Frans Malherbe.
“We have Wilco Louw coming later this year and he’ll bolster our tighthead stocks. It’s the same at lock where we’ve lost a guy like Walt Steenkamp, but the two Ruans [Nortje and Vermaak] just simply need to make the step up and absorb lessons each week.”
“If you go back a year, we were two [wins] from seven in the URC, so our record this season is far better in comparison,” Marais defined.
“I definitely agree that we’ve hit the buffers a bit over the past few weeks, but we can’t be too negative given our log position. We need to get the balance between creating play and playing the percentages right.”
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Looking forward to the Dragons and the challenges they may pose to this Bulls facet, Marais stated they [the Bulls] expect a form of sluggish poison from the hosts at Rodney Parade.
“They are very good at slowing down the game and making it difficult for you. Given the wet weather here, there will be a lot of kicking and breakdowns will be a big focus.”
“We will not be able to play as offensively and will need to make the necessary adjustments this week.”
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