Hooker Sidney Tobias is excited for the Vodacom Bulls’ challenge in the Free State on Saturday, their hard work throughout the season setting the side up for a top finish before the playoffs of the Currie Cup.
The Bulls will go into their final Currie Cup round-robin game against an in-form Cheetahs side with one goal in mind – to win and place themselves in a good position for a potential home final in the domestic competition.
The Pretoria outfit will travel to Bloemfontein this weekend where the two sides will square up on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash, with both teams vying for the No 1 spot on the log.
“Coach Gert [Smal] and coach Jake’s [White] planning has been spot on. We’ve planned all along just to take it game by game and week by week. Luckily, things have worked out that we are still in control of our own destiny,” said Tobias.
“The end result for us is having a home final which makes this last round-robin game a must-win. We have to win it. So, our approach is simple – we are going to Bloem for the win.
With the Bulls also having to participate in another important match this week – the semi-final of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship against Leinster in Dublin – the team has had to box clever in preparations with their focus being split between the two premier competitions, and also facing two in-form opponents in both the Currie Cup and the URC.
“We are going into this game with the same preparations as every other game this year. We are going there to win. Obviously, we know it’s going to be a massive challenge. The Cheetahs are always good on their home ground, especially if they get going,” said Tobias.
“I think we have seen in the last two weeks that they are beatable. Just like we saw with Leinster two weeks ago. So, we are going there to win, I don’t think we will approach this game any other way.”
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Tobias further put to bed any suggestions that the Bulls will be fielding a weakened side for the clash with the Cheetahs.
“You’ll be surprised with the team we have preparing for the weekend. There are quite a few experienced players who remained behind to prep for the Cheetahs game,” he said.
Tobias has made a meaningful contribution to the impressive run of the Bulls in this season’s Currie Cup campaign and showed his mettle when he was included as a late starter, after being initially named on the bench, in the side’s most recent fixture.
When Smal’s charges took on the Pumas a fortnight ago, the experienced Bismarck du Plessis was forced to withdraw from the team after a light niggle in the warm-up before the match.
Tobias exchanged his No 16 jersey for the No 2 jumper on the day and went on to prove to be one of the standout performers in a 31-26 victory, adding to previous performances which placed him in contention for a spot in the Currie Cup squad.
“The thing with coach Jake and coach Gert is that if you’re good enough – whether you’re an older guy or younger – you will play. There’s no beating about the bush when you work with probably one of the best coaches we’ve ever had in this country,” he said.
Tobias is a fine example of the success of the club rugby system under the Blue Bulls Rugby Union which continues to a thriving feeder to the professional set-up.
“I’m blessed to have a president [Willem Strauss], a director of rugby, coach and a CEO [Edgar Rathbone] that support club rugby like this, it’s phenomenal. We are probably the only union in South Africa where the club players are coming through the system. It’s not happening on a once-off basis, it’s on a weekly basis that guys come straight from club rugby into our professional set-up,” he said.
“We are extremely blessed that we probably have the best club rugby system in South Africa. We have the best club rugby competition in South Africa. We have clubs in the Carlton Cup who are completely competitive. We have a president who is an avid supporter of club rugby, to put it in the simplest of terms; and we have coach Jake who supports the guys.
“It doesn’t matter what club you come from, but as soon as you step on to the field here at Loftus and train in the system, you automatically lift your game.”
