The red-hot Bulls will be going all out to advance their playoff ambitions against Scarlets in their final URC round robin away game of the season on Saturday.
To Win
Scarlets | Draw | Bulls
Handicap
Scarlets | Bulls
Match context
The Bulls remained in eighth spot following their seven-try, 47-7 pummelling of Dragons at Rodney Parade last week and will be riding a wave of momentum heading into this clash at the Parc y Scarlets.
In spite of the tight URC log, with the Pretoria outfit just three-points off the top four, the visitors will be hugely confident of adding to their win tally this week and in their final upcoming two home games against the Italian clubs as they push for a home playoff berth. With the impressive Connacht (ninth) just a single point behind them, failure could be detrimental.
The Bulls have failed to win in each of their previous two matches against Scarlets in Llanelli, but the mood in the camp is at a high right now, with skipper Marcell Coetzee placing positive emphasis on their mentality and motivation in the build-up to this one. Given what was on display in Newport, where the Bulls forwards totally dominated proceedings up front, the warning signs will be there for Scarlets.
Dragons simply had no answer to the Bulls scrum and maul, and it should be a case of more of the same on Saturday.
Scarlets are placed in lowly 14th after another campaign of struggles in which they’ve managed just four wins from their 15 outings to date. Their recent form ¬— which includes just one win from their last five — is patchy at best, and it’s difficult seeing them compete with the Bulls physically for the full 80.
With director of rugby Nigel Davies recently criticising Taine Plumtree for his ill-discipline (the flanker copped his seventh yellow card of the season in last week’s 24-28 home defeat to Cardiff), they are hardly as settled a side as the Bulls and should be vulnerable again.
Players to watch
Taine Plumtree (Scarlets)
As previously mentioned, the son of John has come under fire from his director of rugby for his habit of giving away penalties and collecting yellow cards, with his sin-binning last week having a direct influence on the result against Cardiff. Despite his try-scoring exploits (he was on the scoresheet again in round 15), it’s true that the 26-year-old will continue to cost his team if he can’t reign in some of that overzealousness.
How he responds against the Bulls will be telling, with his pack of forwards set to come under immense pressure. If he can cut out some of the silliness and be more accurate, he could have a big role to play this week.
Marcell Coetzee (Bulls)
The product of Port Natal High School will surpass Anton Leonard in becoming the fifth-most-capped captain in Bulls history on Saturday, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see the 34-year-old end up playing another starring role for the team he has so proudly represented since returning from Ulster in 2021.
Coetzee has been one of the most consistently excellent loose forwards of his generation since debuting for the Sharks back in 2011, with his physicality and raw energy endearing him to many fans of the game. Expect him to be at his best against Scarlets as he eyes another deep URC playoff run.
Tactical overview
Matters should start and end up front this week, with the Bulls’ physicality likely to prove a massive challenge for Scarlets. Despite the Welsh club’s previous successes against the Bulls at this venue, the way in which Ackermann’s side tore into Dragons last time out is foreboding, while their confidence will be at an all-time low after their disappointing home loss to the Blue and Blacks.
With the Bulls expected to again name an all-star matchday squad, Scarlets simply don’t have the quality to match what will be on show. They disappointingly conceded 21-points and two yellow cards in the final 10-minutes of their encounter a week ago and given the depth the Bulls have on their bench, it wouldn’t be surprising to see something similar on Saturday.
If the Bulls get an early lead, it will be tickets for Scarlets, who will have a hard time finding a way to live with the Pretoria team’s brutality.
Prediction
The Bulls to clear the handicap and claim all five log points on offer.
