Bulls gear up for another French battle in Champions Cup

Having come a cropper in their first match on French soil, the Bulls will now have to face even more slabs of hefty Gallic beef as their defeat to Olympique Lyon at the weekend has condemned them to a visit to Toulouse for their round-of-16 match in the Champions Cup.

The Bulls, physically overpowered, were hammered 31-7 by Lyon to finish seventh in Pool A, meaning they have to travel to the runners-up in Pool B, which happens to be mighty Stade Toulousain, one of only three unbeaten teams in the competition (along with last season’s finalists La Rochelle and Leinster) and historically the most successful club in Europe.

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Assistant coach Chris Rossouw said the positive, however, was that the Bulls would at least be better for the experience of playing in France, pointing to a 7-7 second half as proof of that.

“It was our first encounter in France and a French team playing at home is completely different,” Rossouw said.

“We conceded too many penalties, which put us under pressure. We were penalised 11 times in the first half, but we were much better in the second half, with just five penalties, and that showed on the scoreboard.

“Lyon had a very heavy pack, it was a tough one and we need to learn from it. The way we pulled back in the second half showed we did learn. It showed we could manage the extremely cold conditions and stand our ground.

“There were a lot of positives and this experience will help the team over time. It’s extremely difficult to win in France, you are tested on a few levels. You need to manage the game well, be tight in discipline and take your opportunities.

Average performance

Olympique Lyon certainly avenged their loss at Loftus Versfeld a month ago, when a second-string Bulls side were full of energy and enthusiasm in winning 42-36, after leading 35-12 early in the second half.

But the Bulls were decidedly average in all respects in the return fixture. They made numerous basic errors so their ball-retention was poor, they went backwards at an alarming rate in the scrums and mauls, they were ill-disciplined, passive in defence and overwhelmed at the breakdowns.

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“We need to adapt to the artificial pitches, especially when it comes to how you play the ball on the ground, there were a lot of fumbles that affect your rhythm,” Rossouw said.

“The pitch is much more reactive and we made errors in ball-control around the ruck area because it is not as stable as grass. We need to nail that every time.

“That bit of delay than caused pressure, which led to errors in passing and decision-making. We need to find a solution, and falling behind, especially away from home, has a big influence.

“Everyone knows that in the first 10 minutes, a French team’s energy and passion is through the roof and you need to manage that. We had the same disappointing patches against the Stormers and Sharks and we need to control those moments better.”