Loftus battle stations for Bulls and Sharks
by Chumani Bambani,
2016-03-18 05:00:00.0
SCRUM battle, breakdown battle, physical battle, battle of the packs and battle of the backs — all of these hostilities are expected when the Bulls and Sharks clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, according to the two camps.
The teams have been complimentary of each other in the build-up to the 7pm Super Rugby clash.
"The Sharks don’t give you gainline," Bulls coach Nollis Marais said. "They are very physical. They carry the ball up to you. They try to get into space with their forwards. The forwards dominate, and then they use their backs.
"We will try manipulate their play as best we can by using our attack against them, but we definitely will not make things easy for them here."
Bulls captain Adriaan Strauss added: "The Sharks have been very physical in their last couple of games. They have a very good first phase, their scrums are solid, they enjoy the driving maul.
"We know they will be coming to Loftus wanting to dominate those areas. We will be up for it. Here at Loftus, we want to create that culture where the forwards do their bit."
Despite being favourites to win the match, the Sharks, who have won their first two games, will not underestimate the Bulls.
The Bulls will have their tails up after their 45-25 win over the Melbourne Rebels in their previous match, a performance that impressed Sharks director of rugby Gary Gold.
"I thought their performance against the Rebels was outstanding," Gold said.
"You again saw the performance the Rebels put up a week later against the Reds, so that proved that it was no mean feat what the Bulls did."
Both sides have already faced the Stormers in the competition, with the Bulls suffering a 33-9 defeat in the opening week after a shoddy second-half performance, while the Sharks beat the Western Cape side 18-13 last weekend. Yet, Gold believes it was the Bulls who put in the better performance against their mutual foe.
"The Bulls have had one poor half — that was the second half against the Stormers. They were outstanding in the first half, they put the Stormers to the sword more than we did," he said.
"Nollis has brought on a more feared attacking edge. When you see the backs they have at their disposal — Bjorn Basson is one of the best aerial wingers in world rugby — their centres, the danger they have at No9, they are a formidable unit."
Bjorn Basson of the Bulls during the 2016 Super Rugby match between Vodacom Bulls and Rebels at Loftus Versfeld on March 05, 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa. Picture: JOHAN RYNERS/GALLO IMAGES
SCRUM battle, breakdown battle, physical battle, battle of the packs and battle of the backs — all of these hostilities are expected when the Bulls and Sharks clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night, according to the two camps.
The teams have been complimentary of each other in the build-up to the 7pm Super Rugby clash.
"The Sharks don’t give you gainline," Bulls coach Nollis Marais said. "They are very physical. They carry the ball up to you. They try to get into space with their forwards. The forwards dominate, and then they use their backs.
"We will try manipulate their play as best we can by using our attack against them, but we definitely will not make things easy for them here."
Bulls captain Adriaan Strauss added: "The Sharks have been very physical in their last couple of games. They have a very good first phase, their scrums are solid, they enjoy the driving maul.
"We know they will be coming to Loftus wanting to dominate those areas. We will be up for it. Here at Loftus, we want to create that culture where the forwards do their bit."
Despite being favourites to win the match, the Sharks, who have won their first two games, will not underestimate the Bulls.
The Bulls will have their tails up after their 45-25 win over the Melbourne Rebels in their previous match, a performance that impressed Sharks director of rugby Gary Gold.
"I thought their performance against the Rebels was outstanding," Gold said.
"You again saw the performance the Rebels put up a week later against the Reds, so that proved that it was no mean feat what the Bulls did."
Both sides have already faced the Stormers in the competition, with the Bulls suffering a 33-9 defeat in the opening week after a shoddy second-half performance, while the Sharks beat the Western Cape side 18-13 last weekend. Yet, Gold believes it was the Bulls who put in the better performance against their mutual foe.
"The Bulls have had one poor half — that was the second half against the Stormers. They were outstanding in the first half, they put the Stormers to the sword more than we did," he said.
"Nollis has brought on a more feared attacking edge. When you see the backs they have at their disposal — Bjorn Basson is one of the best aerial wingers in world rugby — their centres, the danger they have at No9, they are a formidable unit."
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