Bulls shrug off Dublin blues for Euro duel

04/04/2024 13:55

Marcell Coetzee has urged the Vodacom Bulls to rise from the canvas after a heavy loss against Leinster ahead of the Champions Cup playoff clash with French side Lyon in Pretoria on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.

The Vodacom Bulls are back in Pretoria following a two-week URC tour that started promisingly with a bonus-point victory over Dragons in Wales, but ended with a 33-point loss to eight-time champions Leinster in Dublin.

There is little time for the Bulls to dwell on what happened in the second half at the RDS Arena, as they turn their attention to the first round of Champions Cup playoffs this weekend.

Speaking ahead of the clash with Lyon at Loftus Versfeld, captain Coetzee said the Bulls cannot afford to get too wrapped up emotionally about last weekend’s defeat.

“If you take the tour as a whole, it was a very good first week. We got five points, which is never easy. We didn’t play our best rugby against Leinster, particularly in the second half,” Coetzee said.

“We went out to measure ourselves and I think we did it very well in the first half. But I think the second half, with the experience that they had, they were better than us. We have to be humble about that.

“The whole week’s preparation going into Lyon is to learn from your mistakes, what you didn’t do in the second half particularly. Look at yourself and get yourself up. That was the leadership’s task this week, to get the boys up. This is not going to be an easy game. We don’t have time to sit and be sad.”

Saturday’s playoff will be the third time that the Bulls have faced Lyon in the Champions Cup.

The two teams faced each other home and away in last season’s pool stage, with the Bulls claiming a thrilling 42-36 win at Loftus Versfeld, before a young team suffered a 31-7 defeat in Lyon. Most recently, Lyon held out to beat the Bulls 29-28 at home last December.

While the French side currently sits in 12th place on the Top 14 log, Coetzee knows that is misleading about the real strength in the visitors’ squad.

“It was a challenge when we played there. We went with another squad, a lot of youngsters who got a good experience. I take my hat off to the guys that played on the day. There were chances to win that game, but also a few soft moments, a lack of experience. We ticked the boxes that day and we know what we are facing.

“Lyon is a class side. They showed what they did now in the Top 14 against Bordeaux. Playoffs are all about what happens on the day. They are physical at the breakdowns and want to take the game to you. They also have the flair to mix it up.”

A first-ever place in the Champions Cup quarter-finals is on the line for the Bulls and Coetzee has urged his teammates to move on from what happened in Dublin.

“A lot of the youngsters in the squad are aspiring to be Springboks. As a collective, we are striving to be one of the best teams. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way, unfortunately. I had to take it when I was a junior, pursuing my dreams. I played in games where we took 40 or 50 points. It’s all about how you approach that, your attitude and how you confront it.

“It is going to happen in your career, but it can only be a failure if you didn’t take the lessons from it. It happens in sport and particularly in life. That’s been the big message this week, sometimes that is going to happen, you are going to get knocked, but you have to get yourself up.”

Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images

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