Bulls not feeling pressure of all-important game against Castres

The Bulls said even though they are on a three-game losing streak and a loss against Castres Olympique may end their Champions Cup race, they are not feeling the pressure of the game.

Instead, they are taking things back to basics and aim to be “street-smart” in the match in France on Saturday.

Bulls not feeling pressure, but not relaxed either

Half-back pairing Keagan Johannes and Boeta Chamberlain told media they only saw the game as a big opportunity to showcase what they can do.

“I think it’s more about us going out there and enjoying ourselves, express what we have and who we have behind us,” flyhalf Chamberlain said.

“The better we prepare the less pressure we will feel.”

That said, Chamberlain explained that “no one is relaxed” – all players know what to do this weekend.

“We were brought here to do what we need to do and that is go for the win. The guys are focused. They know exactly what is expected of them. I don’t think we are relaxed. I just think we are prepared as well as we can be.”

Scrumhalf Johannes agreed. “Everyone understands the plan so if we can execute it to the best of our abilities it means we will be fine.”

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Bulls to ‘keep it as simple as possible’ against Castres

Chamberlain said the Bulls need to “keep it as simple as possible” against Castres.

“We don’t want to overthink things and put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

“We tried to keep it as simple as possible [in training] with our strikes from lineouts and scrums just to make it easier for everyone to be on the same page and to fire on Saturday.”

Johannes said the Bulls also need to be “street-smart”.

“We are playing against a team with their home crowd backing them. There will be a lot of noise and calls probably going their way. If we are street-smart, keep cool heads and just focus on what we need to do I think we will be in a good space.”

Even so, the pair said there will be opportunities to express themselves on the field.

“We have got a lot of guys who can create something from nothing,” Chamberlain said.

“So it’s about trying to put them in the right spot at the right time. That’s going to be crucial, as well as playing to our strengths.”

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