Vodacom Bulls assistant coach Chris Rossouw believes the all-round game of powerful winger Stravino Jacobs can lay the groundwork for victory against Scarlets on Friday.
With Springbok speedster Canan Moodie rested for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash in Wales, Jacobs will line up at left wing in a re-jigged lineup for the Bulls at Parc y Scarlets Stadium.
The stocky 22-year-old hasn’t seen much game-time as a fringe player in an enlarged squad this season, yet has scored five tries from seven matches in all competitions.
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Speaking in a media teleconference from Llanelli on Thursday, Rossouw explained to reporters how Jacobs can help the Bulls make it two wins from two over Scarlets in the URC.
“Stravino’s actually had a good ‘run’ despite not playing a lot over the past six weeks. He’s looking in really good form,” the stand-in head coach said.
“He brings different attributes and skills to Canan. He’s big and physical [and] his boot definitely is a way of gaining good field position, a nice alternative option.
“His physical approach and running lines gives one a great advantage as the attacking team because he’s difficult to stop. Stravino defends well and when he finds a line, he goes through with it. That’s tough to defend against. He’s a very fine player.”
Picks: @mark_keohane and Zels are feeling bullish about @BlueBullsRugby‘s prospects when they travel to Wales to take on Scarlets in the @Vodacom #URC.pic.twitter.com/9jPbnV0xsl
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) January 26, 2023
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Meanwhile, Rossouw said the combination of flyhalf Chris Smith and fullback Johan Goosen allows the Bulls to exploit the double-kicking options against a Scarlets side with balance and confidence.
“We all know Scarlets are on high at the moment, but saying that, there is nice energy at our camp and it’s almost like a change of season for us as well,” he added.
“Confidence will be important but obviously execution and being clinical on the night will be more important.
“Scarlets are known as a team that attacks a lot. What they have done over the last two months is to find a balance between their attacking and kicking game, and how we manage that will be crucial for us and make sure we do not get pinned in our own half.
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“They have a great pack of forwards and an experienced backline, that remains one of their strengths so it is important for us to manage the kicking game as a whole.
Rossouw concluded: “We will need to be physical and look to dominate the collisions to have any momentum. For us it will be one of the focus points.
“We know they have some good runners and we also know their big boys have the ability to offload in tackles, so we need to make sure we identify those and look to limit those opportunities through our tackle techniques.
“We will need to bring the physicality that we know the South African boys can bring.”
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