Vodacom Bulls ready for clean slate

FOR a team that has won three championships in eight years and added to Super Rugby finals series berths to these victories in 2012 and 2013, last season represented a small step back for the proud men from Pretoria.

It was not unexpected as the Vodacom Bulls endured a monster turnover coming into 2014, with over half of their squad, including nine Springboks, leaving the corridors of Loftus.

However, the reputation of their great citadel remained intact, unbeaten over eight Super Rugby matches with just one draw, a 34-34 classic against the Chiefs.

On the road, the team’s home form, Jekyll-like in its grand discipline, became like Edward Hyde on the road and they lost all eight away games.

Last year, back-to-back defeats early in the season were omens of things to come, as the reigning South African conference champions lost in Durban and Bloemfontein.

Four straight Super Rugby games at Loftus Versfeld helped things get back on track, with the Emirates Lions, Blues and Cell C Sharks conquered before a draw against the Waikato based outfit, Chiefs, in the seventh round of the Super Rugby series.

The proverbial wheels fell off when the side embarked on their long four-match tour, and the usually reliable Vodacom Bulls lost in Wellington, Dunedin, Sydney and Perth.

Reeling with just three wins from ten games, the team returned home and were able to win three straight fixtures that allowed the three-time winners to stay within top six teams on the Super Rugby log.

However, ultimately finishing four competition points outside the first six teams on the Super Rugby log, the Vodacom Bulls needed at least one victory away from home, and losses against the Lions and Stormers ensured the 2007, 2009 and 2010 champions missed out on the finals for the third time only since 2005.

Prospects for 2015:

The Vodacom Bulls’ first away match is against the Toyota Cheetahs in Polokwane, followed by an early bye (rest period).

Over the next four weeks, the Force, Crusaders, Emirates Lions and Reds constitute a run of tricky opponents, but if the side is to challenge for the crown they will need to be successful over this eminently winnable run.

Trips to Durban and Cape Town will start the business end of the season for the Vodacom Bulls, followed by a home match against the Emirates Lions and a round 13 bye.

Then the Blues, Chiefs, Brumbies and Rebels wait to welcome the Pretoria based franchise, with the Toyota Cheetahs as the Vodacom Bulls’ final opponent in round 18 at Loftus.

The backline has “lost” only a few players, with the playing axis featuring perhaps South Africa’s most improved and rising international in Handré Pollard, one of five Springboks available for selection out wide.

The forwards have undergone more changes, but it is only half of the losses they endured two seasons ago. Such continuity and the polish of Frans Ludeke could see the Vodacom Bulls make a statement.

Key strengths includes the obvious home advantage for the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, while a sound defensive system and a tendency to finish close to opponents when finishing on the wrong side of the ledger, they lost four straight matches in the Antipodes (Australia and New Zealand) by less than seven points, have emerged as recent strong points.

Ludeke knows the formula, but the reality is the South African conference is a tough field.

However, if some victories on the road are notched the fearsome hosting record could lead to another final’s berth.

The need to win on the road is clear, but the Vodacom Bulls’ style looks to be in the midst of a slight revolution. Their overpowering blueprint that was unbeatable for so long has not been able to be duplicated in recent campaigns.

The traditional power of the team has not been seen lately, but their backline prowess is on an upward curve, while the very high profile signing of Adriaan Strauss from the Toyota Cheetahs, combined with the likes of Victor Matfield and Pierre Spies could see the Pretoria forwards rise again to threaten for the South’s greatest domestic title in rugby.