'I’m not ashamed to tell you it would be a disaster if we don’t make it,' Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo said ahead of the must-win clash.
Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo conceded that failing to reach the Currie Cup play-offs would be a “disaster”, and that was why the Pretoria union was focusing on “putting everything” into their preparation for their round six match against the Lions.
The Gauteng teams clash at Ellis Park on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) with the Bulls, who once led the table, languishing in sixth place with two wins after four games. They are six points behind the Lions in fourth, and need two bonus-point wins and other fixtures to play out in their favour to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals.
‘We are expected to win games’
Nomlomo said the Bulls, who reached the play-offs on the previous four occasions, needed to shrug off their three-game losing streak after falling 42–21 to the Griquas on the weekend.
“It would be a disaster, for sure, if a Bulls team was not in the semis,” Nomlomo said. “Because we are expected to win games, and I have said that at the Bulls. The Bulls want to play in the play-offs of every competition. This competition was no different.”
He said they would not make excuses about the injury challenges they faced.
“We are still in the running for play-offs and … it’s a must-win game for us. That is what we are concentrating on.”
Bulls to give it all against experienced Lions
Still, Nomlomo was under no illusions of the tough match ahead against the Lions, who scored five tries in a losing cause against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein (score 47–31).
“They have been piling on points, and defensively, they have been quite sharp as well,” he said. “They are one of the better sides from a defensive perspective in terms of not leaking too many tries.”
The Bulls coach said the Lions players are managing their game better than they did last year, having gained valuable experience.
“They are playing less rugby inside their back 50… I think they will try and impose themselves as much as they possibly can, especially looking at our squad.
“It is a game we must get a result out of with aspirations of carrying on longer into the competition. We are putting everything we have into making sure we try and get a result, for sure.”
