Bulls working on an 'up-tempo game'

The Blue Bulls have moved swiftly to put last week's disaster behind them and are working hard on producing an up-tempo game as the Currie Cup season reaches the halfway mark.

Bulls captain Dewald Potgieter, speaking to this website ahead of his team's trans-Jukskei derby with the Golden Lions in Pretoria on Saturday, admitted there were not many positives to take from the 6-42 loss they suffered against arch rivals Western Province last week.

"The important thing after such a big loss is to get back to the training field and put in some good sessions," Potgieter said, adding that they are focussing on execution and working hard to regain their confidence.

He admitted that the biggest issue is to recover from the mental scars that such a beating would have left.

"In my opinion there isn't anything wrong with our structures, so the big issue would be to get up mentally," he told this website.

Having managed to upstage the table-topping Sharks the previous week, it showed that the Bulls do have the game.

"However, against WP our execution was not up to standard and we made far too many unforced errors.

"Our discipline was poor ... I am talking under correction, but there were 17 penalties and 19 turnovers against us.

"We also had just 38 percent of the possession, which would explain why we never got into the game. It is always important how we start a game, get into it, and WP took the initiative.

"That is why it is important that we get over it mentally and continue to believe in what we do."

It certainly won't be any easier against the defending champion Lions, who are also coming off a disappointing loss and with the competition at the halfway stage will be just as desperate to get their campaign back on track.

Potgieter said the Lions, as always, will play their up-tempo game - keep the ball away from the opposition, keep it in hand and play from anywhere on the field.

"However, we are in the process of moving away a bit from how we played in Super Rugby," the Bulls captain said, adding: "At the moment we are working hard on lifting the tempo of our game.

"It will be a case of whatever they [the Lions] throw at us, we will have to match that and be better at it.

"The big message this week was to lift the tempo ... both on attack and defence.

"We need to get some urgency into our game."

By Jan de Koning