Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard is one of the returning Boks who must strengthen the Bulls in their Champions Cup opener against Bordeaux in Pretoria on Saturday. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has told his team to toughen up or accept a defeat in Saturday’s Champions Cup clash with reigning champions Bordeaux at in Pretoria. Ackermann was disappointed in his team’s defensive frailties in going down to the Lions last week at Loftus Versfeld in a United Rugby Championship encounter.
The visitors scored six tries in a comfortable win that shocked the Loftus Faithful. “If we’re soft like last week, we’ll get exposed,” the former Springbok lock said. “If you analyse Bordeaux, they score all over the field and off every phase.
They’re a well-balanced side — they score off set pieces, counter-attack, turnovers, lineouts — everything. They’ve got X-factor players across the park. “We were obviously disappointed in last week’s performance,” Ackerman continued.
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“For 80 minutes, we had so many opportunities, but we just didn’t execute. If you don’t take your opportunities, you’re probably not going to be on the winning side.” Ackermann has packed his squad with returning Springboks, although not all of them are starting. In all, there are 13 Boks in the match-23.
“Yeah, it’s great to have those guys back in the mix and available,” he said. “They haven’t been with us as long as we would’ve liked, but they bring a lot of experience, and it’s good to see them slotting in.” The Bulls also have a strong leadership boost, with the return of Marcell Coetzee, who will captain the side, and Ruan Nortjé, who will play off the bench. “Marcell has led this team for years and brings a lot of experience.
And having Ruan available on the bench gives us the luxury that, if we want to take off either Reinhardt (Ludwig) or Marcell, we know Ruan will be on the field. That’s the main reason — experience.” Ackermann explained why some Boks will feature from the bench. “We looked at the minutes they played, including the travelling, and felt that from a management point of view, we should let the guys who have played together locally start and test themselves against world-class opposition.
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