Ackers: Bulls just as desperate as Stormers

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann said although his team find themselves in contrasting form to the Stormers, they are just as desperate for a win in their United Rugby Championship clash on Saturday.

The teams meet at Loftus at 2pm with the Bulls on a four-game winning streak and the Stormers on a three-match losing run.

Their return leg comes two months after their first encounter in Cape Town, which the Stormers edged 13-8, thanks to a late try after a 35-minute deadlock.

That game saw the Stormers win their 10th match in a row, while the Bulls were nearing the end of their seven-game losing streak.

Fortunes have changed, but with Springboks returning and a change of coaching personnel helping align them with Ackermann’s methods, the Bulls’ desire to win is just as strong as the Stormers’.

‘There’s never a favourite’

While naming his team on Friday, Ackermann said the Bulls still had plenty to do, lying eighth on the URC table with seven regular-season matches to go.

A defeat for the Bulls without a losing bonus point would mean their first-ever finish at the bottom of the SA Shield. It might also mean falling out of URC play-off contention as Connacht, who are five points behind in 10th, host Scarlets this weekend.

Making his intentions clear, Ackermann didn’t change a single backline player from their huge 41-12 win over the Sharks two weeks ago. All seven Bulls’ tries were scored by the backs.

“The continuity puts us in good stead but we still have to perform,” the Bulls coach said.

“We’ve seen in the past how close local derbies are. There’s never a favourite. You have to pitch up on the day.”

He also named an all-Springbok front row, while Boks Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Willie le Roux and Marco van Staden, who plays his 100th game for the Bulls, form an impact bench.

Bulls as eager to win as the Stormers

“We expect a desperate [Stormers] team,” Ackermann added. “Any time you start losing games, you come under pressure and become a bit desperate, like we were.

“But we are still desperate. We haven’t got out of [the woods] yet. We need to keep performing. But we expect they will be really up for this challenge.”

He said the Stormers have X-factor players all over the field, as well as a strong set-piece.

“I felt that when we lost [in the first leg] it didn’t mean we were a bad team or bad players. They are a good team and are well in the competition because of how well they played [at the start]. It will be a massive challenge.”