Bulls skipper Hanro Liebenberg has urged his side to control their emotions in Saturday’s URC clash against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.
The 30-year-old flank, who takes over the captaincy from the injured Marcell Coetzee, knows the importance of maintaining discipline in a fiercely contested Jukskei derby.
“I think we’re all adults. We’ve all got to take care of our emotions on the field,” he said. “At the end of the day, there’s a captain, but everyone’s got to control themselves and look after themselves.
“Yes, we want to be on that edge and be ready to go and have that aggressive nature, but there is also a line. I think if you’re going to cross that line against the Lions and give away penalties, they’re going to punish you.
“We see the way they play. They want to throw the ball around and make linebreaks and put you under pressure that way.
“And if we’re going to put ourselves under pressure by giving away penalties, we’re going to make it a long afternoon.”
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Liebenberg believes the Bulls will take confidence from last week’s 26-22 loss to Munster in Limerick despite the result.
“Rugby is a funny game. Sometimes you’re the better team and you lose, sometimes you’re the better team and you win. It’s just the bounce of the ball sometimes.
“The work and the effort we put into last week’s match, if we can have that the same this weekend, I think we’ll be in a good place and just take the opportunities a bit better.”
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Liebenberg says he’s enjoying being back in Pretoria after a seven-year, 152-match stint with the Leicester Tigers in England.
“It’s almost brought that love of the game back to me a bit.
“I was away for seven years, a bit out of touch, out of feel with South African rugby. But since being here, I’ve loved every minute.
“We have a great group of boys, a great coaching team, and it makes it easy to come back and fit in again.”
Photo: Vodacom Bulls
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Bulls skipper Hanro Liebenberg has urged his side to control their emotions in Saturday’s URC clash against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.
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