Lip service or for real? Bulls promise more attacking rugby

Given that they’ve failed to score a try in 160 minutes of Super Rugby in 2020 it’s currently only lip service, but the Bulls insist they’ll be a far more attacking unit in this weekend’s meeting with the Blues at Loftus.

While Pote Human’s troops were wasteful in their season opener against the Sharks in Durban, they looked bereft of any ideas the next week at Newlands.

“We haven’t made a lot of technical changes. It’s really more about the players shifting their mindset,” the Bulls mentor said from Loftus on Wednesday.

“We want to score tries. That’s why we play the game.”

It seems a bit counter-intuitive then that veteran Morne Steyn retains his place at flyhalf as he’s known as a pivot who prefers to take less contact.

Yet Human wants him as an insurance policy should Saturday’s predicted showers materialise.

“We’re going to use Morne at 10 still and possibly keep him on a bit longer if the conditions are more wet, but the plan is to give Manie (Libbok) more game-time because he’s the type of guy that can open up the game in the second half,” he said.

However, the fierce debate over who should don the flyhalf jersey at Loftus has made it easy to forget that other members of the backline also haven’t quite pulled their weight in the attacking stakes.

Skipper Burger Odendaal hasn’t underperformed, but as leader he’ll need to take the lead.

“I don’t take criticism personally. I have nothing to prove as an attacking presence. There’s been a lot of things we’ve worked on. We have a clear picture of what we need to do. If we get ourselves on the front foot, then the creativity will come.”

Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Cornal Hendricks, Johnny Kotze, Burger Odendaal (c), Rosko Specman, Morne Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Josh Strauss, Wian Vosloo, Jeandre Rudolph, Juandre Kruger, Andries Ferreira, Trevor Nyakane, Jaco Visagie, Lizo Gqoboka. Bench: Corniel Els, Gerhard Steenekamp, Wiehahn Herbst, Ruan Nortje, Ruan Steenkamp, Embrose Papier, Manie Libbok, Divan Rossouw.

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