Bulls targeting Scarlets for momentum shift

The Vodacom Bulls have targeted a good start on their first Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour to get them the momentum they need to go one better than last year’s final.

The Bulls are one of only three unbeaten sides still in the competition, but had some heavy lifting to do when they had one red card and two yellows in their win over the Ospreys last weekend, but had enough experience and nuance to ensure they got the 29-19 win in the end.

This week they move to Scarlets, who are on a bit of a high after they shocked fellow Welsh side Cardiff last week and will want a South African scalp to prove their resurgence was no fluke.

While the Bulls beat them handily last season, playing in the Northern Hemisphere conditions in front of a partisan crowd will be tough again. Especially if the crowd influences the referee as they did in Newport last weekend.

Bulls winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who will join the Springboks at the end of this tour for a return to Europe, and then head off to Japan to join his new club on a sabbatical, confirmed the team had targeted this tour as their good start means a lot in terms of momentum.

“In the past we haven’t done too well on tour and this time we said we want to have a good tour,” Arendse told the media on Tuesday.

“It’s not always easy but we want to make sure we get as many points as possible out of the three games. It is always difficult playing away from home but we are a side that wants to return home with a good record.”

Arendse’s two first half tries were part of the reason the Bulls won the fixture at Rodney Parade and has been in good form this season, but acknowledges that the cards last weekend played a massive role in the team’s second half performance.

Midfielder David Kriel was red carded for a fend off, while Elrigh Louw (attempted intercept pass) and Alulutho Tshakweni (clash of heads) were give yellows at crucial times that stunted the Bulls momentum in the game.

“In terms of us getting cards, we probably could control it a lot better but I wouldn’t say it changes the mood of the players,” Arendse explained.

“We can definitely learn from it and our focus is to be clinical and not give cards away. It definitely affects us on the field in terms of defending because we’re less numbers.

“It’s not always nice to finish the game with 13 or 14 men but I think that’s where senior guys take control of how to manage the game, and players buy into what those players say. And at the end of the day we get the results.”

While Arendse didn’t mention him, 97-cap test veteran Willie le Roux’s vision at the back was a massive part of that success in their season thus far and is a big part of why Arendse already has three tries in two games.

“With the quality of players we have, the guys see space very well and that’s why us as wings can do so well at the end of the day.

“Whenever I get an opportunity it’s to contribute on and off the field, and whenever I run out onto the field with the boys it’s to get a good result and play to the best of my ability.

“I enjoy every opportunity I get, and I must credit the forwards; they lay the foundation for us in the backline. If they give us the momentum we can capitalise on that.”

With the Bulls in a good space at the moment, and Scarlets looming, Arendse knows the team has it all to play for and can pick up valuable points on tour. If they do that, they can almost tick the first phase of the tournament off as a massive success. And return home full of confidence from their first tour.