Bulls embracing pressure of being in URC top two, says captain Coetzee

Looking at their position on the United Rugby Championship points table, Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee says he prefers the pressure of being at the top to being part of the chasing pack.

The Bulls are currently in second place on the URC log with 40 points and they have set themselves the goal of returning to the grand stage — playing in the final as they did two seasons ago.

‘I would rather have this pressure’

A top-two finish in the regular season will favour the Bulls come the playoffs. The pressure of staying at the top of the table in the run-in is something the Bulls skipper says his troops have embraced.

“I prefer the position we are in now, where we might get the chance of a home semi-final or final in the future, depending on how the season goes,” said Coetzee.

“I would rather have this pressure than of a team that might be relegated or have other issues. We have learnt in rugby about how quickly dynamics can change. Rugby will always have pressure; you want to give your best every weekend.

“You can’t afford to be complacent in this tournament. If pressure comes with where we are now, it is what it is, it’s something we embrace as long as we focus on what we want to achieve at the end of the season,” he said.

Can’t slip up

The Bulls will take on the Dragons away at Rodney Parade on Saturday at 9.35pm and then the following Friday tackle Leinster, who are currently on top of the log with 40 points, at RDS Arena.

Coetzee says they are hunting wins during their European tour as they can’t afford to slip up.

“Ultimately, we are hunting results (wins) because you can’t slip up anymore, it’s the business end games and it’s crunch time. You don’t want to get off on that wave of momentum you have been building in this season,” he said.

Competitive squad

The former Springboks flanker is confident that the coaching staff will field sides that will compete on tour and find the balancing act as the team want to keep the momentum they have.

“No matter who we take (on tour), it’ll be a squad that is competitive, a team that can do the job. I think the biggest thing is building consistency going forward.

“It is coming to that crunch stage of the tournament, and we have been looking good so far. You don’t want to tamper with that in a way. Whatever the coaches decide and back, I’m sure the guys will do the job,” Coetzee said.