Johan Ackermann lamented a contentious penalty try and moments of poor decision-making after the Bulls were edged 21-12 by the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday night.
The Bulls fought hard in a physical URC clash, but were ultimately undone by a penalty try that Ackermann believes swung the contest.
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“The big swing in the game was the penalty try,” the Bulls coach said. “We’ll get some clarification on that because we’ve looked and re-looked at the footage we’ve got. I begged with [captain] Ruan [Nortje] to ask the referee, but obviously they only seem to go back when it’s knocks and not when it’s big decisions like that.
“The only guys off their feet were Glasgow. Francois Klopper [who was yellow-carded] is standing right in the middle on his feet, so to make a big call like that without referring it, without being certain, just flabbergasts me. In this modern game, we have the technology but we’re willing to make spur-of-the-moment calls like that.”
Despite the defeat, Ackermann praised his side’s defensive effort – a clear improvement from the initial rounds of the campaign.
“I’m very pleased with the step-up in our defence,” he said. “That shows me when we get that part right and we get our possession and territory right and sort out some things on attack, there’s a lot of good things to come. I was really proud of the guys.”
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However, Ackermann admitted the Bulls’ game management at key moments let them down.
“There’s a time to kick out, there’s a time to kick long and there’s a time to keep the ball and build a bit of pressure. We don’t get the balance right all the time. We also played the ball out the back when we maybe should’ve carried.”
The Bulls now return to South Africa where players will get a one-week break, followed by two weeks of preparation ahead of their next clash against the Lions at Loftus on 29 November.
Johan Ackermann shares his frustrations following the Vodacom Bulls’ loss to Glasgow Warriors tonight
“There was neck rolls and so many things [the TMO] could have referred, but when there’s a little knock on, suddenly everyone can see it”
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