Ruan Nortje of the Bulls drves towards the tryline in their URC clash against Benetton this past weekend. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
The Bulls pulled away from Benetton in the final quarter to win 45-19 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but coach Johan Ackermann was unhappy with how the Italians put his team under pressure for long periods.
The Bulls had a good start to their final regular United Rugby Championship (URC) season game, but Benetton scored tries on both sides of half-time to close the gap to seven points for close to half an hour. After finishing fourth in the URC standings, the Bulls will host fifth-placed Munster on 30 May in the quarter-finals.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Ackermann said.
“There were soft moments and small mistakes that compounded pressure on ourselves. Those are the things we have to fix.”
Munster showed great character at the weekend to beat a determined Lions team 24-17.
“It’s our general skill, finishing and decision-making that we have to focus on,” Ackermann explained.
“You don’t want to give away 14 points through soft moments and poor decision-making,” Ackermann said of that double strike around half-time in which Benetton flyhalf Rhyno Smith played a major role.
“That’s the part we have to fix because if there’s more pressure on the game, like in a knockout match, it becomes very difficult to recover momentum. Neil (de Bruin) and I want the players to have a go, and we’ll never fault a player for trying, but you must make sure you execute. It’s all about execution.
“There were moments where we had four against two, or three against one, and then we kicked instead of passing. Then there were other situations where maybe we should have kicked. Those decisions and the execution around them are the areas we need to improve.”
Ackermann is wary of the danger posed by Munster, the 2023 URC champions.
“It’s always nice to play at home, and hopefully we can use that to our advantage,” Ackermann said. "Munster are a quality side with a lot of good internationals. We know we’ll have to lift our standards.”