Coach Johan Ackermann says the Bulls will have to overcome travel fatigue and illness to beat a “dangerous” Lions team at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls are looking to bounce back from last week’s round-two URC defeat to Munster in Limerick, having opened their campaign with a big win against Zebre in Parma.
Ackermann has made 10 changes, including a positional switch, to his starting XV, with several Springboks returning.
Hanro Liebenberg takes over the captaincy from Marcell Coetzee, who has a knee injury, while Reinhardt Ludwig and Stravino Jacobs miss out through illness.
Coetzee is expected to be fit for next week’s Investec Champions Cup match against Stade Français at Loftus.
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Ackermann admitted that preparing for the Jukskei derby had been challenging.
“It was a difficult week, I won’t lie about it,” he said.
“The travelling [from Ireland] was quite taxing. There were long flights. Then a number of guys arrived sick and couldn’t train.
“Then you’ve got guys who basically haven’t been with us for the whole pre-season, so you actually had them for the first time. They haven’t played, so they’re actually ready to go. But we can’t train as we want to train because there’s a group that you have to manage as well from a physical point of view.”
Ackermann said his selection was aimed at balancing continuity with the quality offered by their returning stars.
“We want to recognise that there are some Springboks who can add value. They have been away from the team, but it was not by choice.
“It’s difficult not to play them. It’s not like a guy coming back from injury who must work his way back into the team.
“So there were a few forced changes and a few where we felt we just wanted to bring in guys who hadn’t travelled, who are maybe a little bit fresher.”
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The Lions arrive in Pretoria having won their opening two URC matches at home against Leinster and the Ospreys. They also beat the Bulls 43-33 at Loftus last season.
“They’re a group that’s been together for a long time,” Ackermann said of his former side.
“They remain one of the most dangerous teams because they can dominate you at the set-piece. They can maul, they can scrum, but they can also attack out of nothing at any time.
“That’s their DNA. They can throw the ball around. They’re a well-balanced team, and that’s what makes them dangerous.”
Ackermann expects the Lions to try to exploit the Bulls’ travel schedule.
“They’re definitely going to play at a high tempo. I think they’ll want to play at a high tempo because they know we’ve just flown back, and they’ll want to use that to their advantage.”
Photo: Vodacom Bulls
The post Ackers: It’s been a difficult week for Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Coach Johan Ackermann says the Bulls will have to overcome travel fatigue and illness to beat the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The post Ackers: It’s been a difficult week for Bulls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
