The Blue Bulls have looked invincible from the beginning of the Absa Currie Cup season but they go to Kimberley today (kick-off 3pm) wary of a possible ambush from a winless Griquas side.
What may be deceiving about this Griquas side is their bad run of results so far this season as it masks the effort Hawies Fourie’s men have put in their three defeats at the hands of Western Province, the Bulls and neighbours, the Free State Cheetahs.
But the men from Pretoria are not allowing themselves to be fooled by what has happened in previous weekends and will look to consolidate their near-perfect start to the season with yet another sparkling performance in one of South African rugby’s harshest environments.
Many teams and fledgling careers have fallen victim to Griquas’ sheer stubbornness at home and the hard reality of the barren field in Kimberley.
Out of the three teams that have faced Griquas this year, it is the Bulls that have probably had to front up to the unwillingness of the Kimberley side to lie down and submit to their much fancied opposition when Fourie’s men made an arm-wrestle of the battle of Loftus Versfeld two weeks ago.
The Bulls ran out victors of that tussle with a magical 20-minute display of running rugby that has been a feature of their campaign thus far.
However, the Bulls will be cautious.
They will not allow themselves to get into a scrap with a street-smart Griquas side that would have walked away from Loftus two weeks ago feeling confident in their ability to box toe-to-toe with the Bulls and hope they can land a surprise knockout blow, if they are still in the fight in the second half.
Bulls captain Lappies Labuscagne says his team would have taken heed of the lessons from their last outing – which they won 36-12 – and rather adapt to the situation as it unfolds.
“In that match, they defended well in the first half and somewhere in the second period we managed to get momentum.
“We have to play what is in front of us, we have to be up for the battle because they have a good pack of forwards and can spread the ball wide.
“Defensively we have to be up for it and we must play to our strengths,” said Labuscagne.
“Griquas are a dangerous side and they have beaten the Bulls previously in Kimberley, so they will have the belief that they can beat any team at home,” he said.
“We will give them the necessary respect, though.
“But we are determined to play our own game.
“We are not living in a bubble and we know the challenge that awaits us this weekend.
“We need to make sure we arrive there in the right frame of mind,” Labuscagne. - Saturday Star