Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has all but admitted that the scrums were a liability in his team’s loss against the Stormers this past weekend and says they will need to show a drastic improvement ahead of their game against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls were heavily penalised at the scrums by referee Jaco Peyper at Newlands with nine of the Stormers points coming from scrum penalties which ultimately won them the game.
Ludeke said his team would need to sort out the set-piece but also called for better understanding of what actually goes on in the scrums from the match officials and lawmakers.
While not blaming the scrums for his team’s demise in Cape Town, Ludeke is concerned that the current interpretation of the scrum is not understood by most and could prove costly to a team in a knockout game or final.
“Obviously there are things we will take responsibility for like binding issues, staying straight, keeping your weight and not over-extending. Those are the things we can sort out. Obviously it is a battle and it is a battle for the referees as well. It is a little bit of a grey area at the moment,” Ludeke said yesterday.
“Every scrum, at the moment anyway can really go any- where and it mustn’t be like that. It is a pity that the game is going in that direction and it is an area we all need to look at.”
In an effort to regain their dominance in the scrum prior to the capitulation of the set-piece at Newlands, Ludeke is likely to recall Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane from the bench and start him ahead of Dean Greyling at loosehead while hooker Adriaan Strauss and tighthead Marcel van der Merwe are to retain their places in the team.
Nyakane has been one of the standout props in Super Rugby this year, having made a temporary move from loosehead to tighthead to help out an ailing Bulls scrum.
However, the Bulls’ woes at scrum time could be a thing of the past if Ludeke goes with the all Springbok frontrow of Nyakane, Strauss and Van der Merwe which on paper is probably the second best frontrow especially in the eyes of Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
The Bulls scrum will be further enhanced on the weekend by the return of Victor Matfield and Flip van der Merwe while speculation is rife that Matfield will also captain the team with an ill Pierre Spies being rested.
As much as Ludeke’s focus will be on correcting the wrongs of his team and ensuring that they are best placed to beat the Lions, Ludeke also remains wary of the attacking flair the Lions bring to a game and how it could cause mayhem for the Bulls if their defence is not up to it.
“ I think we were really successful against them in Johannesburg, we worked hard and looked after each other. It will be important for us not to give them that broken field they badly want.
“In a game of 80 minutes that broken field will come and we will need to adjust, work hard and diffuse opportunities like that,” he said. - The Star