Bulls know Zebre are a ‘force to be reckoned with’

The Bulls will not underestimate 15th-placed Zebre when the teams collide in the United Rugby Championship (URC) at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 2.45pm) after their excellent showing against the Sharks last weekend.

The Italian side almost caused an upset when they came from 28–17 down against fourth-ranked Sharks at the break to overtake them and lead for 25 minutes in the second half, before the Sharks finally retook the lead in the final minutes and clinched a 35–34 bonus-point win.

It was enough to draw near-disgust from Sharks captain Siya Kolisi and coach John Plumtree, who called their performance “unacceptable” and “ugly” respectively.

While they didn’t mince their words at how poorly the star-studded Sharks handled a fearless Zebre attack, they were both full of praise for Zebre’s ability to keep them in their 22.

“They were very good in broken play, they didn’t want structure,” Kolisi said. Plumtree added Zebre were strong in defence, making solid tackles that kept the Sharks from gaining momentum.

He especially lauded the “unreal” fullback Geronimo Prisciantelli. The Zebre captain led in carries (18 compared to the next best at 10) and scored two tries on the day.

Bulls can’t write Zebre off

Zebre were on a three-game winning streak before that narrow loss and the Bulls know it will not be an easy game.

“You can’t write them off. They are quite a good team and have quite a good scrum,” prop Mornay Smith said.

“I think since we joined the URC, this is the most games they have won in a season, so we will have to prepare well for them because they don’t stop.”

Zebre have won five games this season, including against Ulster and Edinburgh, and are as many points off the ninth spot on the URC log.

Leinster hero says they will prepare accordingly

The Bulls come from a tight but important 21–20 victory over Leinster that ended the Irish giants’ 12-game winning streak in the tournament.

It was a far from perfect performance but it demonstrated how far the Bulls have come this season to come from behind and increasingly dominate set-pieces against a team missing several Six Nations players but still having a handful of Ireland players and three international stars while the Bulls missed their own share of leadership and talent.

Utility back, David Kriel, who slotted the winning penalty kick in extra time, also said they would show Zebre respect and prepare accordingly.

“Zebre aren’t a team anymore that only wins one game every 18 months,” he said.

“This season they are a force to be reckoned with and they deserve all the respect [of] a top-of-the-table team.”