CAPE TOWN - Considering how well the Bulls have been playing over the last two weeks, one could’ve excused Jake White if he wanted to give the players a day off on Monday.
But despite hammering the Stormers 39-6 in just 63 minutes at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend, they were hard at work to prepare for Saturday’s Super Rugby Unlocked derby against the Lions at Ellis Park.
“Yes, of course – every day!” laughed breakdown specialist coach Nollis Marais when asked if the players still had to train after running the Stormers off their feet.
Marais, of course, knows how it feels when things are not going well, having been the Bulls head coach between 2015 and 2017, when the results and performances did not yield much success.
So he understands the pressures director of rugby White is going through, and cites the former Springbok coach’s experience as being a key factor in the Bulls’ form.
“He has been through everything already, and is very calm. Every guy can focus on his area, and he has a lot of confidence in each one of us. We know what is expected of us and he is very direct, and you know exactly where you stand. And it helps if you are winning too!” Marais quipped.
Having rejoined the senior team as a breakdown coach, Marais has been instrumental in the growth of Marco van Staden, who seems to have regained the form that made him a Springbok in the first place.
It was a tricky situation at the breakdowns initially, though, as the Bulls first chose not to contest the rucks in the opener against Griquas, but that plan was changed as they often lost the ball due to a lack of numbers.
“At the beginning, it was a bit difficult as there were different interpretations from the referees. In the beginning of the Stormers game, you could see we conceded one or two penalties where we didn’t roll away or things like that,” Marais said.
“But we adapted well to what AJ (Jacobs, the referee in the Stormers match) wanted and the guys stuck well to the plan. We knew it would be a physical battle, especially Kitshoff, who likes to challenge at the breakdown, and also Jaco Coetzee.
“We sorted that out with our plan, and it worked for us in the second half. Then we started dominating the contact and we could play from there.
“Marco sits with me every week, and after getting a yellow card in the first match for chasing every ruck, he is getting better and better – making good reads and improving. You can see how effective he and Duane have been, and Marco has made a lot of progress in terms of when to steal and when to not go for the ruck.”
Get the Biltong out 🔥 Arendse with the break, Gans with the offload, van Zyl with the finish! What an epic #TryTuesday 😳 👏 #BullsFamily24 pic.twitter.com/en8siUCAvk
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) November 3, 2020
The Lions utilise a far more attacking approach than the Stormers, though, and Marais is expecting a fast-paced game at Ellis Park on Saturday (7pm kickoff).
“The Stormers is one of the most physical sides, and while the Lions don’t shy away from physicality, they look to keep the ball alive and spread it around a lot. They want to make the ball quick the whole time, so we have to be very accurate at the breakdowns to make it slower and neutralise that threat.”
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