End of season run-in: The Bulls

Having finally got a big monkey off of their back the Bulls will be looking to kick on and hopefully enjoy one of their best seasons since their domination of Super Rugby over a decade ago, when they head into their end of season run-in from next weekend.

The Bulls’ 40-22 United Rugby Championship (URC) win over the Stormers was a huge result for them in terms of finally breaking a seven game losing streak against their biggest rivals, while also proving that they have what it takes to challenge the Cape side for South African supremacy.

Remaining fixtures:

URC: Dragons (a), Leinster (a), Munster (h), Ospreys (h), Glasgow Warriors (h), Benetton (h), Sharks (a)

Champions Cup: Lyon (h) in last 16

That result has left the Bulls flying high at second on the URC log and odds on to clinch the South African shield while they are also in a great position to secure home quarter and semifinals if they get that far in the competition.

The Bulls’ best ever performance in the URC was in their first season when they stunned Leinster away in the semis to reach the final where they lost to the Stormers, and they will be targeting an even better effort this time round based on their current form.

Their next two URC games are away encounters against Dragons in Wales and Leinster in Ireland and if things go their way, they could be sitting top of the log by the time they return to SA.

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Full house of points

The Bulls should clinch a full house of points against the Dragons, and they might even be favourites for their huge clash with Leinster, but that will depend on whether the Irish powerhouse decides to bring their international players back for the game or allow them to rest after a gruelling Six Nations.

On their return to SA the Bulls will host French side Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, which should be an interesting match to see how Director of Rugby Jake White will approach the tournament and whether he will prioritise it over the URC.

It is unlikely that the Bulls will be able to realistically challenge for top honours in both the URC and Champions Cup this season, so they may look to rotate their squad for the game, but they should still be favourites to progress to the next round even if they don’t play a full-strength team.

After the Champions Cup match, the Bulls enjoy a four-game home run where they will face Munster, Ospreys, Glasgow Warriors and Benetton and by the end of it they could have secured their place at or near the top of the log, before they end the competition pool phase away against the Sharks.

This season could truly be a turning point for the Bulls and could see them become a major challenger for the URC and the Stormers in the competition over the coming years, while they will also look to impress in the Champions Cup.