Lock Ruan Vermaak says it is imperative that the Vodacom Bulls establish set-piece dominance in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against the Dragons on Friday night.
The Bulls were completely outmuscled by the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, their 47-20 defeat at Kings Park a successive derby defeat in the competition after a 37-27 reverse against the Stormers in round 10.
Jake White’s charges need to pick themselves up for a tough run of fixtures in the URC and European Champions Cup, starting in Wales at Rodney Parade this week.
MORE: Bulls coach breaks down what to fix
The Dragons are 14th on the URC standings after just three wins from 11 matches, and speaking in a Bulls conference on Wednesday, Vermaak told media: “We have to start with our fixed facets. Our forwards must create a good foundation in the lineouts and the scrum for the backs to play from and get them on the front foot.
“It’s hard to play when you’re on the back foot. This was where the Sharks did well [against us] last week – they put us under pressure in the lineouts and scrums.
“It definitely starts up front, then we have to gain momentum in the game. We must also not allow one or two mistakes to affect the rest of the game.”
The Bulls director of rugby, White, had rested a host of heavy hitters in the Champions Cup debut to field full-strength match-day squads for the back-to-back URC derbies against the Sharks and Stormers, and the gamble did not pay off, at least in the short term.
ALSO: Record fan numbers as URC makes history
White believes the current slump provides last year’s championship runners-up with a “massive character test”, and Vermaak has taken his coach’s words to heart.
“One week you win, then you are at the top. The next week you lose, then everything is reversed,” the 24-year-old said.
“It’s important for the guys to keep their focus and take things week by week. It’s easy to become negative, especially when you read the comments [on social media, etc].
“It is important you know what to distract you from and what not. You should not read the reports [in the media] with too many emotions. It’s just opinions.”
Photo: @BlueBullsRugby/Twitter
