Breakdown battle will determine Bulls success

It may sound like a cliche, but the Vodacom Bulls know all too well their key to getting a rare win in Limerick this weekend will be the breakdown.

After their loss to Edinburgh, a loss that frustrated fans and players alike, there is a lot of talk of a response this week as Vodacom United Rugby Championship action resumes, and with just four rounds left, every point is a premium at the moment.

That means, while the Bulls are third to Munster’s fifth on the log, there is no love lost between the two sides, and the Irish team’s win at Loftus Versfeld last season is very much still in their memories.

But that loss against Edinburgh, one where the Bulls fightback started too late and ended too short to keep them in the EPCR Challenge Cup, still hurts the Bulls, and with only the URC left to contend for, they need a solid performance this weekend.

The Bulls know where their faults were against Edinburgh - the slow start, the lineout malfunctions and their own mistakes, and all of that would have received a lot of attention in training this week.

But what has received a lot more attention - and something that has plagued the Bulls against good sides this season - is the breakdown.

Captain Ruan Nortje made it clear, this game against Munster would be a breakdown battle that would determine the winner and if the Bulls wanted to record their first win in Limerick in URC battles, they will need to win this battle before they can think of another away win.

“So, I think the big, big thing this week is going to be the breakdown,” Nortje said. “It’s the games you want to play. Munster in Limerick, I don’t think you get much better than that.

“We know they are a world-class outfit, and I think it’s going to be a massive set-piece battle. Upfront is going to determine where the game is going to go. “This week is all about focusing on what we can do much better than last weekend.

“We all know Munster fans are so passionate. It’s definitely going to be a lot of noise somewhere in the game. It’s a great game to be a part of, and test ourselves to see where we are really at. So, I think the biggest challenge for us is just to implement what the plan is from the coaches and not fade away from that.”

The lineout that malfunctioned so badly last weekend is something that Nortje takes very personally as captain and the player that does the lineout calls, and this week he has vowed it will be better.

“Our lineout is a big part of our game where we impose ourselves and try to create momentum. Especially in the first half - we had a skew throw, a knock on. Those are fundamentals that we missed.

"That put us under a lot of pressure and with the way Edinburgh started that game, the pressure just compounded. As players, we take it on the chin. We were not good enough.

“This weekend, there will be a massive crowd at Thomond Park and a lot of noise from Munster’s passionate fans. There will be pressure on us at some point in the game, so we’re going to have to be much better at coping with that pressure.”

Nortje was also critical of himself as captain, and when asked what he could do better this week as captain, he believed calmness was a key element of turning any situation into a success.

“In the game, it feels like things are happening 10 times faster than they actually are and there are a lot of voices from different sides, so for me it’s about staying calm, trying to feed off the guys around me who have a lot of experience, and trying to make the best decision on the field.”

The Bulls will name their side on Friday for the clash.