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The Bulls have highlighted areas they have worked on and things fans can expect from them in their final against Leinster.
Bulls stand-in captain Marcell Coetzee and captain Ruan Nortjé will keep the side level-headed during the URC final. Picture: Johan Orton/Gallo Images
Bulls veteran Marcell Coetzee has highlighted four areas they have been working on for their United Rugby Championship final against Leinster on Saturday (kick-off 6pm).
The teams clash at Croke Park in Dublin after Leinster finished first on the table in the regular season and the Bulls finished second. Leinster beat Scarlets and defending champions Glasgow Warriors in their play-offs toward the final, while the Bulls beat Edinburgh and the Sharks.
Coetzee said that Leinster, who have never won the URC in its current format though they have always been favourites after strong regular season finishes, are still a “champion side”.
“It’s a well-oiled machine. We need to nullify that as best as possible by certain things we’ve identified,” Coetzee said.
Better discipline
Coetzee said the squad had addressed discipline after receiving three yellow cards against the Sharks in the semi-final.
“It makes things harder for you, playing against a quality side like Leinster, you can’t afford to have one guy in the bin or two guys in the bin. We need all the feet on the pitch. It’s going to take a work rate to stop their onslaught so you don’t want to let the guy next to you down by being reckless.
“That and soft moments, we need to cut out in our game, and just keep building on our DNA that has been working for us all season.”
Managing pressure
Coetzee said, just as fullback Willie le Roux did, that the Bulls will need to manage the pressure of the big fixture. This will be the Bulls’ third final though they have yet to win the trophy.
Coetzee said the Bulls have grown in maturity since their 2022 defeat to the Stormers and last year’s defeat to Glasgow. Veterans such as captain Ruan Nortjé, Le Roux and Johan Goosen will keep the team level-headed on the day.
“It is going to come down to moments and how we manage them. How calm and controlled we are. That comes with experience.”
Controlling the controllables, forgetting everything else
Coetzee said the Bulls could not rely on mistakes from the opposition, nor allow referee decisions that go against them to get them down.
“It’s all about managing your controllables. Sometimes in rugby, there are uncontrollable but it’s the ability to adapt after that that makes the difference.”
Bulls to increase work rate in every area
“Without oversharing, it’s going to come down to work rate, being composed – making the right decisions at the right time – and just handling the kicking game as well,” the Bulls veteran added.
He said they needed to work hard while still being mindful of the momentum and flow of the game.
“There’s a lot of factors that also contribute to whether we get the result or not – whether the set-piece is strong, whether the game management is on-par, the kicking game… There will be times when we want to make the game quick and control the tempo but there are also times to settle and see where we can go from there.”
