While playing a quarter-final at home offers a psychological advantage, the Bulls will know all too well that a victory over Edinburgh is not a fait accompli in the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Despite finishing higher on the official URC log and boasting a formidable record at Loftus Versfeld, the hosts cannot afford to approach the knockout match on Saturday (1.30 pm kick-off) under the illusion that victory is guaranteed.
While Edinburgh may have slipped into the playoffs through the back door, play-off rugby is a different beast, and the Scottish side has proven they can grind out results against more fancied opposition and will relish the chance to upset the Pretoria giants on their home turf.
Complacency may be the real enemy for the home side and that is why director of rugby Jake White warned them not to take their opponents lightly.
They will need to show urgency from the first whistle, maintain discipline on the attack and defence, and apply scoreboard pressure early to avoid giving Edinburgh any sniff of an upset.
White selected his strongest available side for the clash, making strategic changes to fortify the side for the onslaught expected from the Scottish side.
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Scrumhalf Embrose Papier is back and resumes his budding halfback partnership with flyhalf Keagan Johannes. On their outside, Harold Vorster and David Kriel will man the midfield. The back-three of Willie le Roux and wingers Canan Moodie and Sebastian de Klerk complete an exciting backline.
Up front, White largely stuck with the same forwards, making only three changes that see Marcell Coetzee back on the side of the scrum, and Boks Johan Grobbelaar and tighthead prop Wilco Louw completing the front row with loosehead Jan Hendrik Wessels.
The scrum, with Louw and Wessels at the forefront, will be one of the biggest weapons the Bulls will look to use against their opposition. That and their ability to play for 80-plus minutes at altitude against teams not really acquainted with the thin Pretoria air.
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“This quarter-final is very different compared to others,” White said of the playoff.
“This group of players has exceeded expectations early on. In the first year, to have played in the final when the average age was 23 years. And, to get to another final last year, and for whatever reason we didn’t pull it through, it happens in sport.
“So, it’s different because I feel we are maturing as a group. Yes, there have been additions to the group, like an experienced Willie (le Roux) coming in, but guys like Grobbies (Grobbelaar), the Ruan Nortjé’s and Simphiwe Matanzimas have grown up as junior squad.
“I do feel things are different. The vibe is different, and the lessons they’ve learned are a lot more meaningful now because they have played together a lot more. But it is still knockout rugby and a nice time to play. You want to be available to play these massive games.”
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White said they won’t concern themselves with who they might face next week because it’s a quarter-final against a Scottish team full of international stars that mean business. He added that Edinburgh might be a lesser-known team, but they still possess players with international experience in almost every single position, even on the replacement bench.
He added that they are a very competitive team, and they don’t go away easily in a match.
“It’s not just against us, but look at any games they’ve played, they stay in the fight. They are a big club with lots of money and internationals. People sometimes don’t understand that.
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“They also have lots of British and Irish Lions and Schoeman (Pierre) and (Duhan) Van der Merwe who were selected for this campaign. Hamish Watson is a British Lion. There is no doubt that having that international experience makes a player better at provincial level.
“This is still a big game, and I take it like that. I talk myself into the fact that we must never take it for granted that we made it into the knockout games.”
The Bulls indicated that the No 14 jersey, once worn by former player Cornal Hendricks who passed away earlier this month, won’t feature for the side again this season in the URC. Their winger will either wear jersey 23 or 24 depending on the size.
Bulls Team
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortjé, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Devon Williams.
