Bulls won’t underestimate Benetton in URC knockout – Canan Moodie

The Bulls will not underestimate the challenge of Italian side Benetton when the two sides clash in their do-or-die United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.

It is the second time the two sides are meeting on the Highveld in three weeks, after they clashed in a pool match in mid-May, with the Bulls emerging with a thumping 56-35 win in an entertaining high scoring encounter.

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Despite the big win, the Bulls won’t be taking anything for granted against the Italians, with wing Canan Moodie explaining that they will have to be at their best to get past them.

“Benetton is a very good team, they have lots of Italian international players who bring cool heads to the team. For us, we don’t take them lightly, we learned our lesson when we played them in the Rainbow Cup (in 2021). We know they won’t be an easy team,” said Moodie.

“We played them a few weeks ago, not that we know what to expect from them, play-offs are always different, but they are a very good team.

“They have players that know these kinds of situations and know how to function under pressure. They will get a lot of confidence out of a good win last weekend and coming back to Loftus after playing here recently, I think they will have a lot of confidence.”

Feel pressure

Moodie admitted that the Bulls would feel pressure going into the knockouts, but that they were happy to be playing the quarterfinal and a possible semifinal, at home, although they are not looking past the Benetton game.

“There’s obviously going to be pressure for us, we’re second on the log and we’ve got a home quarterfinal, and hopefully a home semifinal. Being in a playoff is enough pressure on its own, but we’re not too focused on all the other things,” said Moodie.

“We’ve created this scenario for ourselves. We’ve worked hard the whole season and played well. We’re getting a lot of confidence getting to play in front of a packed Loftus crowd.

“You also get to sleep in your own bed and follow your same routine. That gives the guys a lot of comfort and confidence to play the best they can on the weekend.”