The Bulls are aiming higher this season – and even snow in eastern France won’t be a scary thought in the Champions Cup.
The Pretoria will make their way up north this week for Saturday night’s clash against Lyon at Stade Gerland hoping to adopt the right “mindset”, according to captain Marcell Coetzee.
And the No 6 flank is confident that the Bulls are fully equipped to handle what is a tough environment this weekend.
It wasn’t the case in early January, when a combination of freezing temperatures, a hostile crowd, a 4G pitch and a late-night kick-off contributed to the Bulls going down 31-7 to Lyon.
Own worst enemy
As well as the hosts played, the visitors were their own worst enemies as they battled to hold on to possession and struggled in the scrums.
But Jake White’s team have been much more consistent this season and are on fire at the moment, having trounced the Sharks 44-10 and then seen off Saracens 27-16 at Loftus Versfeld in their last two games.
The Bulls boss, though, is likely to rest some of his big guns such as World Cup Springboks Willie le Roux, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden this weekend in order for them to be in top shape for the following week’s showdown with the Stormers in Cape Town.
“I think the travel is a factor. For us to train here in over 30-degree heat and then go to sub-zero temperatures, our mindset must be right immediately,” Coetzee said.
“A French side in France will always be physical and tough, as they are a very proud nation, especially at their home ground. So, they will go all out, but everyone has taken that on board, and we have a few guys who will get their opportunity this weekend.
“That is part of the process: for the guys to show the coaches that they can trust them. We expect it to be a very physical game, but we have a very good plan that we want to play against them. And on the day, it is about executing it.
“They are very set-piece driven, but they can play out of anywhere and have players who can create magic for them.
“We as the forwards have a massive job to lay the platform for the weekend. They’ve got a big pack, and we pride ourselves on our physicality. So, the contest there will be severe.
“We’ve got a plan tactically about how we want to approach this game, and it’s all about getting that mindset right.
“Not starting slowly is a big thing, especially playing away against a French side, with a French crowd that can be hostile and a few young guys we are taking abroad as well. We mustn’t let the moment get too big.”
Mission impossible
The Stormers nearly did the impossible when a second-string side almost knocked over the mighty Leicester Tigers last Sunday, with the Capetonians just not able to close out a famous victory in what turned out to be a 35-26 defeat.
Coetzee said that the Bulls will “take confidence” out of the Stormers’ performance.
“We want to go overseas and fire some shots. I wasn’t there for the last game (in Lyon, as he was in Japan at the time), but a lot of the guys who were will be going back there again, and will know what to expect now,” the 32-year-old said.
“Some of the guys had snow-fights during captain’s (practice) and stuff like that. The next day, it was a tough challenge.
“But I think they will go with a better mindset this time. They know what to expect with the crowd, the weather conditions, and it’s part of the experience that you want to give to the youngsters and expose them to that environment, as we are going to be playing in Europe for a while.
“We can’t use that as an excuse. If you want to get results and get into play-offs, you have to be mentally strong and put that aside.”