Stern Mitchell isn’t losing patience with his Bulls project

John Mitchell is known as one of rugby’s intellectual giants with high standards but given a sketchy past with other teams it’s probably not surprising that Bulls fans might be a bit twitchy after their side’s poor start to the 2018 Super Rugby campaign.

The men from Loftus have only won one of their first five matches as the New Zealander’s revolution has – at least temporarily – stalled.

But he insists he’s committed to his “project”.

“I’ve got to stay more patient,” Mitchell said on Thursday as the Bulls aim to get back on track against the Stormers at Loftus on Saturday.

“As a leader, I have to make sure that I keep feelings of frustration away from the group and become more patient with the arrival and development of each player’s set of skills.”

Indeed, Mitchell’s vision of a broader group of players keeping each other on their toes in terms of performances hasn’t been realised yet.

That’s why he’s had to keep his selections consistent even if the results aren’t coming.

“It’s part of the job. You obviously you’d love the whole process to be quicker,” said Mitchell.

“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to hang in there because the personalities in the squad arrive at your ultimate vision at different times. You’re constantly checking for understanding.

“It’s an enjoyable process. A lot of the guys have experienced the amount of detail one needs to take in. Mastering it takes time, especially if you’re a forward.”

Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Travis Ismaiel, Jesse Kriel, Burger Odendaal (c), Divan Rossouw, Handre Pollard, Ivan van Zyl, Tim Agaba, Thembelani Bholi, Marco van Staden, Hanro Liebenberg, Jason Jenkins, Trevor Nyakane, Adriaan Strauss, Pierre Schoeman. Bench: Jaco Visagie, Lizo Gqoboka, Frans van Wyk, Hendre Stassen, Roelof Smit, Embrose Papier, Manie Libbok, Johnny Kotze.

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