After being caught cold by an early Bristol Bears try onslaught, a wounded Bulls side were forced to play frantic catch-up rugby when they slumped to an embarrassing 61-49 Investec Champions Cup defeat on Saturday, coach Johan Ackermann said.
Before the Bulls had time to raise a sweat, they found themselves trailing 21-0 after only eight minutes in front of a stunned crowd at Loftus Versfeld.
It was the seventh straight defeat in all competitions for the struggling Bulls, who have a mountain to climb when they travel to France to face Pau in their final Champions Cup pool clash on Saturday.
A helter-skelter clash at Loftus produced 16 tries and emphasised the defensive frailties of a Bulls side who have battled to make headway in the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship.
“I wish I could give you the exact answer (about what went wrong),” Ackermann said.
“Because if I look at the week and the energy of the players, the preparation was really good.
“The players trained well, the intensity was high, and we felt positive going into the game.
“That’s why it hurts more than a normal loss.
“It’s not a case where we can say the commitment wasn’t there. The guys were up for it all week.
“We started badly and that set the tone. Then you’re playing catch-up for 80 minutes and suddenly the good work you do doesn’t look so good because the result doesn’t reflect it.
“First, we tackle a guy in the air and give away a penalty. Then the kick-off doesn’t go 10m. Then a box kick doesn’t go 10. Those are small things, but they put you under immediate pressure.
“It also feels like all these 50-50 moments just don’t want to go our way. Half a foot higher on an intercept, a better decision, and we walk over.
“Late in the game, if Mpilo Gumede doesn’t get ankle-tapped, it’s a five-point game with three minutes to go.
“No player goes out to make mistakes. But when you’re chasing the scoreboard, you start forcing things.
“You start offloading, trying things you wouldn’t normally do. That’s when you play a bit out of character.
“Even senior players feel that pressure. They want to fix things themselves and then the execution goes.
“There’s a big difference between mistakes and a lack of effort. This is not a lack of effort.”
Ackermann said his team would continue to fight to turn their woeful season around.
“I can only coach. I’m not giving up on the players and I won’t give up,” he said.
“It starts with me. We’ll review, we’ll coach again and we’ll keep working to turn this around.
Delighted Bears coach Pat Lam said his players had put their bodies on the line against the Bulls.
“I’m really, really proud of our group, not just the players out there who had to put the bodies on the line, but also our staff with the preparation and the guys back home who helped just prepare the team for this sort of game,” he said.
“I’ve come here five or six times as a player before and I know how hard it is.
“But we had a clear plan. We talked about how it’s like a world heavyweight boxing fight, but it’s 12 rounds.
“So we talked about how we don’t want to be coming out swinging constantly because it’s going to go 12 rounds.
“We just wanted to manage that first 20 minutes in the altitude and then kick home in the end.
“But we were so clinical in our attack. The three early tries were so rewarding because we spotted some areas that we could take advantage of.
“We brought the plays in. The boys executed it so well.”
Scorers:
Bulls 49: Tries: Jeandre Rudolph, Stravino Jacobs (2), Penalty Try, David Kriel, Sebastian de Klerk, Willie le Roux. Conversions: Handre Pollard (6).
Bristol Bears 61: Tries: Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Max Lahiff, Noah Heward (3), Kalaveti Ravouvou (2), Kieran Marmion, Pedro Rubiolo. Conversions: Tom Jordan (8).
In another Champions Cup match on Saturday, the Sale Sharks beat the Sharks 26-10 in Manchester.
Scorers:
Sale Sharks 26: Tries: Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Bevan Rodd, Tom O’Flaherty (2). Conversions: George Ford (3).
Sharks 10: Try Manu Tshituka. Conversion: Siya Masuku. Penalty: Masuku.
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