Coach Johan Ackermann is not underestimating the two Italian teams standing between the Bulls and a place in the United Rugby Championship playoffs.
The Bulls host Zebre and Benetton in the final two matches of the league phase of the URC. The men from Pretoria will likely need ten log points from the fixtures to secure their place in the last eight. They currently sit in seventh on 49 points, one point behind Cardiff and two ahead of Ulster. Ninth-placed Connacht – who are on 44 points – still have a shot at the quarterfinals.
Ackermann is fully aware of the challenge the Italians will pose and is taking nothing for granted. This past weekend, a full-strength Leinster slipped up against Benetton, losing 26-29 despite leading 19-5 in the second stanza.
“You must not underestimate Zebre, and Benetton showed this past weekend that they are one of the top teams in the competition,” said Ackermann.
“They can beat any team on any given day with all the Italian internationals they have in their squad.
“Playing at Loftus is a big advantage, but that won’t do the job for you. We must do the job on the field. We haven’t achieved anything yet.”
One aspect Ackermann will be focusing on in the coming weeks is discipline. The men in blue found themselves in trouble against the plucky Scarlets on Saturday. They conceded ten penalties, two yellow cards and had to rely on the unerring boot of Handre Pollard to slot the match-winning penalty in the 77th minute.
“We need to fix that,” admitted Ackermann.
“It puts you under tremendous pressure in tight games, where you can’t afford to be one player down, let alone two. However, Handre Pollard showed his class with his kicking display.
“The greatest satisfaction for me is the fact that we are still in the hunt [for the URC play-offs].
“We kept ourselves alive and our destiny in our own hands, which made it a successful tour. However, the job is not done yet.”
