Pretoria - The Bulls will run on to the field at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon in the full knowledge that their clash against the Western Force is for them to lose more than it is about the Australians pulling a rabbit out of the hat.
There is a marked difference between these two sides, with the Force struggling to get out of the starting blocks this season – with only one win in five games - and the Bulls feeling confident after two consecutive victories.
The Force were the last Australian team to beat the Bulls during the regular season at Loftus, and that was in 2007, the year the Bulls won their first Super Rugby title.
They will come to Loftus with a South African influence in both their coaching staff and players, with former Bulls lock Wilhelm Steenkamp making a return “home” and centre Marcel Brache rekindling his animosity for the old foe as a former Western Province player.
Bulls captain Pierre Spies said: “I guess it’s going to help get them up for the game and give them a better background of what South African rugby is all about. But in a competition like this you study the opposition well and everybody knows well what you’re up against.
“The Force are a quality team and can be very dangerous on the day if you let them. They will come to Loftus to try to get their campaign back on track. We have to be up for the game and make sure we focus and execute our things very well, so we can get that result.”
If the Bulls stick to the things that worked for them in their wins over the Sharks and Cheetahs, then there is no reason why they shouldn’t get their third consecutive victory.
The Bulls are the full package but whether they are championship stock will be revealed by how well they have used their week off to build on the momentum gained in their past two matches.
Of the eight matches they have played against the Force, they have only managed to win four, with the Australians taking the other four.
Saturday Star