Johan Ackermann says Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup clash against the Bristol Bears at Loftus Versfeld is must-win for the Vodacom Bulls.
The Bulls are on a six-match losing streak across competitions and have dropped their opening two Champions Cup fixtures, leaving little margin for error. Ackermann admitted the stakes could not be higher.
“Tomorrow is the game,” the Bulls coach said on Friday. “If we don’t get a result tomorrow, then we’re probably out of the main European competition or looking at dropping into the Challenge Cup.”
The Bulls face bottom-of-the-pool Pau in their final fixture in France, but for Ackermann and troops it all boils down to the clash against Bristol.
“The reality is tomorrow is the decider if we want to progress in the main European competition.”
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Ackermann has made minimal changes to his team.
“Up front, we felt it was the right time to rotate Jan-Hendrik [Wessels] with Gerhard [Steenekamp],” Ackermann explained.
Centre Canan Moodie has been ruled out due to concussion, while winger Kurt-Lee Arendse (concussion) and No 8 Cameron Hanekom (knee) remain sidelined.
Crucially, Ackermann feels the return of senior players from rest and injury is beginning to stabilise the group.
“It definitely feels different now that we’ve got everybody in the room,” he said. “Last week Ruan [Nortje], Marco [van Staden] and Canan came back after three weeks off. They hadn’t trained with the team at all, but you could see their influence straight away.
“All your senior players and leaders play a massive part in any team’s progress.”
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Game management, particularly late in matches, has been a major focus after the Bulls let promising positions slip against Bordeaux Begles, the Sharks and Stormers.
“We haven’t been good enough for a full 80 minutes,” Ackermann admitted. “Against Bordeaux we let it slip after a good lead. Against the Sharks we were leading, and against the Stormers it was 8-8 with a few minutes to go.
“For us to turn it around, we have to make sure we play for the full 80. Playing at Loftus is great, but it’s up to us not to switch off in that part of the second half.”
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Despite the pressure, Ackermann praised his squad’s attitude.
“I’ve seen a lot of character,” he said. “We haven’t had to address effort or intensity once. When you go through adversity, you either give up or you fight. We’re not even close to giving up – and we won’t.”
Photo: Bulls/Facebook
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