Africa-Press – South-Africa. A good preseason, blend of youth and experience and the availability of the 2023 World Cup-winning stars are some of the reasons the Bulls have started the season on a promising note.
The Bulls have started the United Rugby Championship (URC) with five wins from seven starts to put them in third spot on the log and kicked off the Champions Cup with a win over fancied Saracens last week. The Pretoria team continue with their Champions Cup programme at the Stade de Gerland on Saturday, where they will be looking to make it two wins out of two against a wounded Lyon.
Asked to reflect on their good start to the campaign, Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee said the improvements started in preseason where they focused on correcting the mistakes that cost them last season. “We had a three-month preseason camp where we reflected on what worked and what didn’t work for us last season,” Coetzee said from France, adding that they adopted a few things to help with intensity and culture of the team.
“We weren’t at the standard we wanted to achieve here at the Bulls, so it was time to reflect and I think we found a lot of answers in the period.
“We also came with new formats and strategies of how and where we can be better at training and cultural wise. I think the biggest plus point for this season is the depth with the signings that we have made, and young players that are coming through the system are all picking up experience. “If we combine that, as a leader you can rely on a lot of people to do the job, especially guys like Akker van der Merwe and Wilco Louw who have also played in Europe for a while.
“The experience they bring to the team is immense, you can see it in the performances that they really want to contribute to the system.”
Coetzee also spoke about the strength brought to the Bulls by the return of World Cup stars Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Marco van Staden and Willie le Roux.
“The Springboks who came back from the World Cup, I must say that they have brought back a whole new experience that we can benefit from as a team and their experience is immense.
“The combinations we are getting right, between experience, and youth and developing Springboks in our system is getting there. That will be the point of difference from last season to this one.”
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