Ospreys game now a ‘must-win’ for Bulls, says Zak Burger

Bulls scrumhalf Zak Burger has declared their upcoming United Rugby Championship showdown with the Ospreys on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld a must-win (kick-off 3pm).

The Pretoria side have suffered back-to-back defeats in the URC against Leinster and Munster in recent weeks. These losses have seen them drop from second to fourth place on the points table with 46 points. Above them are Munster (48 points) in third, Glasgow Warriors (53 points) in second with Leinster (54) in first place.

With four games left in the URC regular season, the Bulls need to have a perfect record to give themselves a chance of finishing in the top two. Considering what’s at stake at this stage of the season, the Ospreys fixture is very important.

“It’s a must-win,” said Burger.

“We know it’s getting more serious now, it’s at the back end of the competition. There are four games left, and we are focusing on Ospreys, that’s our final, our most important game,” he said.

Bulls on the chase

Burger said the Bulls are determined to chase the teams above them.

“So at this point, we have four games left and we want to get as many points in these four games and put the pressure on Munster, Glasgow and Leinster. And hopefully, they drop points somewhere, and we can catch up to them.

“We made it difficult for ourselves with losing at home (to Munster) this past weekend. In the URC, normally the home teams get the wins, and away victories in the URC are very minimal. So, hopefully, we can finish the last four games on a high and go to the quarter-finals with good momentum,” he said.

‘We have quality players’

Despite the setback, the Bulls have suffered recently in their season with three defeats in their last four matches in all competitions, the mood in the camp is still good.

“We are still in good spirits. Obviously the last two results (losses to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup and Munster) haven’t gone our way. We know we have good quality players, we just haven’t found that rhythm and the bounce of the ball hasn’t gone our way in certain games,” Burger said.

The Bulls are coming up against an Ospreys side that is coming off an impressive 27-21 win over the Stormers. Burger is expecting the Welsh side to be confident ahead of their visit to Loftus.

“Ospreys actually beat the Lions this season in the Challenge Cup at Ellis Park and now they beat the Stormers, so they are a very good travelling team,” Burger said.

“They have a very good kicking game, and their defence is brilliant, they create opportunities from their defence and kicking game. Hopefully, we can neutralise that and make it easier for ourselves on Saturday.”