Even though the DHL Stormers will be without their Springbok props, the Vodacom Bulls are expecting a “tough task” at the set-piece in Saturday’s north-south derby in Pretoria. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Vodacom Bulls host the Stormers in the return derby, following a 37-27 defeat for last season’s silver medallists in Cape Town in December.
After fighting back from a 13-point deficit to level the game at 13-13, the Vodacom Bulls lost control of the contest in the second half, conceding three tries in quick succession, something that scrum coach Werner Kruger said is a particular focus ahead of Saturday’s rematch.
#URC – @mark_keohane is backing the Stormers to make it five from five against @BlueBullsRugby, while Zels believes the side from Pretoria will extend their 12-game unbeaten run at home in the @Vodacom United Rugby Championship. pic.twitter.com/9slmjQdi3Z
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) February 16, 2023
“We took a lot of self-confidence into that game,” he said. “We did a lot of good things, but also a lot wrong. A team that concedes three quick tries will always struggle to come back. We have taken a look at the game and made sure that everyone understands their role this weekend.
“The difference in that game was our lapse in concentration. That put us under a huge amount of pressure.”
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Perhaps one pleasing aspect for the Vodacom Bulls from the match in Cape Town was how they stood up to the Stormers’ Springbok prop pair of Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe at the scrums.
But, while neither Kitshoff nor Malherbe will be involved on Saturday due to Springbok resting protocol, Brok Harris and Neethling Fouche showed against the Sharks in Durban that they are more than a match for most scrums.
“The north-south derby is always going to be physical and that all starts up front,” Kruger said. “We are under no illusions that it will be a tough task. The Stormers scrum is functioning really well, no matter who the personnel is.
“The derby will come down to fine margins so we need our set-piece to function.”
The past week in the northern parts of the country has been marked by seemingly endless rains, which Kruger said have started to make way for a bit of sunshine this week.
The former Vodacom Bulls prop explained how things could change at the scrum if rain does break out at Loftus on Saturday evening.
“In terms of the set piece, you have to make sure that your feet are under you, and that gap (between the front rows) isn’t too big. The bigger the gap, the higher the chance that someone slips. Everything tightens up when it’s wet, not just the scrums. It is currently very sunny but it was raining heavily last week. If it does rain on Saturday, from a scrum point of view, you want less movement as possible.
“The key thing is regardless of weather, to stick to structures and not chase something different. It is still early in the week, but the better we get our systems working, the better it will be for us on Saturday.”
The big talking point going into the clash is that the Stormers have won the last four derbies, but the Bulls are not concerned about what has happened in the past.
“Naturally, when you play in a North-South derby you want to win. But that record isn’t our focus,” Kruger said. “We want to stay in our structures. We can’t control what happened in the last four games, only what happens this weekend.”
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