‘No room for losses anymore’: Bulls look to reinstate Loftus fortress

The Bulls have spoken of their desire to improve on their 70% home win record this season, feeling that it’s below par for one of South Africa’s most successful unions.

They will aim to start that improvement against the last-placed Dragons on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), with the Welsh side having secured just one win in this United Rugby Championship campaign.

Of the Bulls’ four URC defeats so far, two have come at Loftus – against the Stormers and Sharks. They also lost to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup in Pretoria.

Their home form has otherwise been decent, if not stellar: six wins from eight in the URC and one from two in the EPCR, yielding a 70% win rate at Loftus.

Interestingly, they have built much of their momentum on the road, where they’ve claimed eight wins from 13 matches across all competitions – a 61.5% away win rate. While lower than their home return, that’s an impressive figure considering it came against some of the best sides in Europe.

‘Makes a massive difference’

Despite earlier inconsistencies, they’ve now won all three of their most recent home games.

But if the Bulls hold onto their second place on the URC table, which they will if they just secure a losing bonus point against Dragons should Glasgow do the unexpected and win away against Leinster with a bonus point, then they will play at least their quarter-final and semi-final at home.

“It makes a massive difference playing play-offs at home,” Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar told media during the week.

He said their best games have been overseas this season, and although their losses at home were against good teams, this was not good enough anymore. “There is no room for losses anymore. If we want to make it to the end we have to win especially at Loftus.”

Bulls say this is the year they win the URC

The Bulls lost to the Glasgow Warriors in last year’s URC final at Loftus (final score 21–16). They also lost the 2021/22 final against the Stormers at Loftus (final score 18–13).

They only got as far as the quarter-finals in 2022/23, crashing out to eventual runners-up, the Stormers.

Grobbelaar believes this is the season they will go all the way.

“We are definitely growing and learning and we will take the learnings from the previous three seasons into this season. And we will make sure we will finish strong and pull through in the final.

“We have to learn from our previous mistakes and be the best we can be.”