Trevor Nyakane. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images)
If ever there was a perfect example of a clean slate, the Bulls’ match squad to face the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday is it.
It’s been just under five years since the men from Loftus last played a Super Rugby game in the Australian city.
And, as a consequence, not a single member of this team has ever experienced the Reds on their home turf.
Of course the four Springboks – Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard, Lood de Jager, Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane – have tasted international rugby at Suncorp Stadium but you get the point.
Following what could easily be a demoralising loss to the Lions last weekend, the young Bulls troops under John Mitchell could do with the toned-down expectations and the fact that essentially none of them carry any mental baggage into the game, they certainly could operate in a more relaxed environment.
But Mitchell isn’t reading much into that.
“At the end of a day, it’s a piece of grass we’re playing on,” said the Bulls mentor on Thursday.
“It’s no different to Loftus. We have a responsibility as professionals to mentally deal with the pressure wherever we go. Whether we play at home or away, it’s irrelevant in my view. I want us to stick to the process and rectify some of the inaccuracies of last weekend. We want to improve the quality of our work.”
Even if much of the focus is on the Bulls’ gradual improvement in 2018, there is some national interest in the return of Trevor Nyakane to the bench.
A fit and firing Nyakane is of immense value not only to his franchise but the Springboks too, especially because he can play loosehead and tighthead.
“He’s into the fifth week of his personal preparation. I’m very satisfied with the growth he’s shown in his metrics. He’s now on the same page as the rest skills wise,” said Mitchell
Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Travis Ismaiel, Jesse Kriel, Johnny Kotze, Duncan Matthews, Handre Pollard, Andre Warner, Nic de Jager, Hanro Liebenberg, Roelof Smit, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Frans van Wyk, Jaco Visagie, Pierre Schoeman. Bench: Adriaan Strauss, Lizo Gqoboka, Trevor Nyakane, Jason Jenkins, Marco van Staden, Embrose Papier, Marnitz Boshoff, Divan Rossouw.
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