The Vodacom Bulls expect the Sharks to deploy a team loaded with Springboks in Saturday’s derby at Kings Park. DYLAN JACK reports.

On the back of a derby defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town, the Vodacom Bulls will look to get back on track with a win in Durban.

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Assistant coach Chris Rossouw said last season’s finalists are eager to strike back and have taken the positives from last weekend.

“We all know that any away game that you win is a bonus. I am open to correction but it’s only two or three out of 10 games that are won by the away side. Being in South Africa, any local derby that you play is a big game.

“Both of these teams, the Stormers and Sharks, are good. In a lot of ways they have the same defensive system and play a good kicking game and have some great players. The Sharks are on the up. We are really looking forward to this challenge.

“Against the Stormers, we had about seven minutes when we lost concentration but there were a lot of positives. Our scrum, especially, was unbelievable. We had a good lineout platform to play from.”

After a struggling start to the season, the Sharks have turned their form around under Neil Powell, getting a bonus-point win at home over the Lions last week, despite keeping the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi out of the game.

Rossouw said he expects the Vodacom Bulls to face as strong a Sharks side as can be fielded on Saturday.

“The Sharks will go full blast. Every Springbok they have available will play. There is no doubt in my mind. We also know that the guys who aren’t Springboks are still experienced.”

As backline coach, one of Rossouw’s main tasks will be finding a way to get round a Sharks’ rush that pivots on Lukhanyo Am at outside centre.

“It’s extremely difficult to play against a rush defence,” said Rossouw. “One of the things that always stands out against that system is if you keep the ball, you bargain that you will get reward from the ref in the form of an offsides penalty. The Stormers were once or twice offside, but we didn’t get that reward.

“Basically, what the Stormers tried to do is to close down the third pass. That’s why Lionel Mapoe was cut down. He was giving or getting the third pass. If we can get away from that, there will be space on the edge of the field. We will be playing against the same system this weekend so we need to be clever with how we play.

“There are three ways to beat a rush defence,” added Rossouw. “The first is to kick. That’s the number one option and it’s why South African teams kick a lot. Another tactic is to keep the ball and get the offsides reward from the referee. In a rush defence, 50% of the time, the defending team is offsides.

“Apart from that, you also have to vary your attack. You shouldn’t overplay, that much is obvious. You need to understand where to play and where your target points will be.”

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One of the major talking points in the wake of the loss in Cape Town is over the Vodacom Bulls’ strategy in balancing their URC and Champions Cup commitments.

In both of the opening two Champions Cup games, the Vodacom Bulls opted to rest the majority of their Boks, keeping them away from a taxing flight to Exeter in the week prior to the clash against the Stormers. However, there is an argument that the first-choice players that were redeployed in the north-south derby may have been game shy as they sat out two consecutive weeks of action.

“I don’t think we could have done it any other way,” said Rossouw.

“Of course, if you don’t play the week before it’s not always a positive because you want the guys to be game ready. It’s not ideal either way.

“Out of experience from travelling with the team, it is extremely taxing on a two-metre forward to have him sit in economy class and then expect him to run full out two or three days later. It’s something that all South African teams, not just us, will have to work out.

“Whatever we lost by not playing them the week before, we have gained in the long run in terms of player welfare. The schedule is hectic.

“We have spoken about it. Ideally, we would have loved to get the first team in Exeter to get them game ready, but coming back and travelling four days out of seven in the week, I don’t think any team would be able to sustain that before a derby.”

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Photo: Twitter: @Springboks