Bulls eye strong URC finish after bonding on tour

The Bulls say their four-week European tour built strong bonds between players and coaches – cohesion they believe will drive them through the rest of the United Rugby Championship season.

The Pretoria side became the first South African team to beat Munster at their home ground and only the second to win against Glasgow Warriors in Scotland since the Cheetahs did it in 2019. They were also the first team to beat French side Bayonne at home this season.

The victories against defending champions Glasgow and Munster, who won the tournament two years ago, were highlights for the Bulls.

Tour builds team culture

But more than just results, the Bulls rallied as a collective during their time in Europe, especially while using Biarritz in France as their home base for training between games.

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said these training sessions and matches served as “memories that help you build a culture in your team”.

“They are memories that build friendships. They are memories that build cohesion and understanding in your group as well. Not just with players, but with coaches and staff.

“This is something we are going to be appreciative of as we go into the back end of the competition.”

However, White said the Bulls could not get ahead of themselves, as they needed to focus on their final two regular-season matches against Cardiff and Dragons on 10 and 17 May, respectively.

“There is a lot of work that needs to be done between now and the end of the tournament.”

Still, he hoped Bulls players would relish their confidence and cohesion at the moment.

Bulls fought for each other in recent games

Bulls utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels seemed to do so after earning man of the match against Glasgow over the weekend.

“We came out fighting for each other. We had a big win last weekend (against Munster) and we just wanted to match it. The guys really stuck together. I think we just fought for each other so it worked well for us,” Wessels said.

The player, who was called ‘Os du Randt’ by his teammates after the match, said the Bulls should build on their momentum, despite having a week off.

“[We will be] getting back together after that and sticking the last two matches, and then in playoffs anything can happen.”