Cobus Wiese says the Vodacom Bulls must be more desperate and physical than Munster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls bounced back from a disappointing home loss to the Stormers with a 40-7 win against Cardiff last week to retain eighth place on the Vodacom URC log with five rounds of the regular season remaining.
They now face a sixth-placed Munster side that was hammered 45-0 by the Sharks in Durban but has been boosted by the return of Ireland prop Jeremy Loughman, scrumhalf Craig Casey and flyhalf Jack Crowley.
“Munster are obviously a top Irish team and a well-coached side,” said Wiese on Tuesday. “They stay in the fight at Loftus and it’s definitely going to be a massive challenge.
“We’ve spoken all week about the fact that they’re going to come out after their loss against the Sharks wanting to prove a point, so we have to prepare for that. They got the better of us the last time they played here [winning 27-22 in 2024].”
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Wiese admitted the Bulls’ second-half performance against Cardiff was below standard after a dominant first 40 minutes.
“If you look back at the game, it might seem sluggish, but often it’s just about finishing the play when you have momentum,” he said.
“It’s easy to go out of structure and that’s where the discipline of the team and the game drivers have to step in to keep the momentum and the pressure going.
“We could have finished Cardiff off better than we did, but it’s something we’ll work on – to stick to task and keep doing what’s working for us.”
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The 28-year-old utility forward emphasised that the Bulls cannot afford to be second-best physically, especially against a Munster side eager to respond to last week’s heavy defeat.
“If you want the simple answer, it’s being more desperate,” said Wiese when asked what the Bulls needed to do against a desperate side.
“But if you look at it a bit deeper, any team coming to Loftus wants to make a statement. It’s a tale as old as time – if you dominate the forwards, you’re going to win the game and put yourself in a good position.
“So for me personally, and as a pack of forwards, we have to pride ourselves on being physical. That’s not to say we’re more physical than Munster, because they’ve got a quality pack.
“But for us now, it’s focusing on ourselves and moving forward as a unit.”
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Wiese also highlighted the threat posed by Munster’s returning internationals.
“Jeremy Loughman is one of the few props in Ireland who can play both sides, so we’ve definitely taken note of that. He’s a quality player and got some game time in the Six Nations,” he said.
“And then Crowley and Casey – I think Jack Crowley is the best 10 in Ireland at the moment. He reads the game well and manages it well.
“So we expect Munster to bring massive fight. They’ll want to bounce back, and what better way to do it than to beat the Bulls at Loftus.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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Cobus Wiese says the Vodacom Bulls must be more desperate and physical than Munster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
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