The Bulls have had a shocking start to Super Rugby. Here are five things they need to improve to effect a turnaround for the clash against the Blues at Loftus on Saturday.
Attack
Perhaps the most troubling aspect from the Bulls’ winless start to the season has been the blunt offence.
Against the Sharks in week one, they eked out one measly but gilt-edged chance to cross the try line and Cornal Hendricks’ souffle handling cost them the chance.
In Cape Town the week after, 80 minutes went by without them troubling the scorers. The Stormers shut them out at every turn and the blank mark on the 13-0 scoreline was warranted.
Ball movement from the base is slow, they’ve lost the art of the offload and everything runs through Morne Steyn’s archaic playbook.
Reading defensive lines
The Bulls have failed to counter the rush defence, which is all the rage in rugby at the moment, after the Springboks’ success in Japan last year.
But there are multiple ways to carve defences open, especially with an experienced operator like Steyn at the wheel. At the Rugby World Cup, All Black flyhalf Richie Mo’unga’s cross-field kick-passes eliminated three to four players at a time and compromised Makazole Mapimpi on the Bok left wing.
Provided Hendricks and Rosko Specman read the play and secure the ball back, the Bulls could get in behind the defence.
Recycle speed
The Bulls play “slow ball” rugby at the moment.
While analysing their recycle speed on television, former Lions defence coach, Joey Mongalo, pointed out that they often took four to six seconds to get the ball out of the ruck when they had the Stormers against the ropes.
It didn’t matter whether it was Ivan van Zyl or Ambrose Papier (both Springboks) at halfback, the ball took an age to get out and the Stormers had manned the barricades.
Team selection
It’s clear that World Cup-winning Springboks Duane Vermeulen, Handre Pollard, Schalk Brits, Trevor Nyakane and Jesse Kriel carried this team last year. Now, without four of those stars plus Lood de Jager, the team is looking emaciated.
The trick now is to forget about how they played last year and look for new line-breakers and influential playmakers that can get them over the gain line consistently.
If his papers are sorted, maybe it’s time to see the Tongan centre Nafi Tuitavake. It will also be worth giving Manie Libbok more than five minutes.
Bomb Squad
You never got the sense that, when the chips were down, there were players on the bench that would turn the situation around for the Bulls. When Wiehahn Herbst and Gerhard Steenekamp replaced Lizo Gqoboka and Nyakane in the front row against the Stormers, the dominant Bulls scrum deteriorated.
They need to develop their miniature version of the famous “Bomb Squad” - a rescue team that extinguishes all fires or revs up the intensity if the team is falling flat.
Right now, if Plan A fails, they double down on it instead of bringing Plan B and C.