The Bulls’ demolition of Stade Français showcased their attacking firepower, but coach Johan Ackermann believes the 56-20 Champions Cup victory also exposed a few flaws his team must fix before returning to URC action against Ulster this weekend.
The Bulls blasted out of the starting blocks, scoring their first try after just 30 seconds, and added two more before half-time. They then pulled away in the second half, scoring five more tries to secure an emphatic win at Loftus Versfeld.
But despite the convincing scoreline, Ackermann felt his team had made life unnecessarily difficult for themselves, particularly in the first half.
“Obviously, I’m proud of the guys. To get the win is the most important thing; we got that, and the bonus point is in the bag as well,” he said.
“It was a fight; it wasn’t that easy, as the scoreline showed. We made it a little difficult for ourselves by conceding penalties in the first half, making errors and not executing well.
“In the second half, there was better execution. We still missed a few opportunities, but Stade Français showed a lot of character, and the conditions were tough out there.”
The match was played in 32-degree heat, adding to the challenge for both teams.
“We were quite frustrated up in the coaches’ box because it was great that we started well, but then we went into a block where we just made it easy for them,” Ackermann said.
“It was either we conceded a penalty, or we would knock the ball on in less than two phases, and they get the scrum and slow it down, or they get an easy entry into our half.
“Around the 35th minute, the stats we had showed that they had 62 percent of the ball and they only made 22 tackles, yet we were leading on the scoreboard, and it didn’t feel that way.
“It’s definitely a work on for us. If teams come here to Loftus, we must make them work a bit harder.”
Ackermann made sweeping changes to his team following their victory over the Lions and handed debuts to newcomers Luan Giliomee and Sango Xamlashe, both of whom impressed the coach.
“Sango justified the selection; he played well. I was very happy with his game, especially defensively,” he said.
“Luan was playing well for the Sharks, slotted in well, did his homework, and we could see he’s comfortable with the plays.
“He was steady, nothing flashy, a good performance. I spoke to him in the changing room about an opportunity late in the game he missed. I think he should’ve kicked it for himself over the line.”
Ackermann was also pleased with the contribution of his forwards, particularly the front row, who were given an extended run despite having had limited game time recently.
“But we’re happy with our selections; even the front row, we pushed them a long time because they haven’t played a lot of rugby in a long time.”
The Bulls now turn their attention to the URC, with Ulster visiting Loftus Versfeld for a 1.45pm kick-off on Saturday.