Vodacom Bulls coach Johan Ackermann will want them to concentrate on the task at hand, but a flurry of milestones may be one of the Pretoria side’s biggest threats as they head into their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Munster on Saturday.
The last milestone worked against the Bulls as Springbok World Cup winner Marco van Staden celebrated his 100th game for the Bulls against the Stormers, a game the Bulls lost, and with the season at a precarious point at the moment - and five regular season games left before the playoffs, the Bulls will not want to be distracted from their task.
It is always a difficult ask for a side, who will want to honour the achievement of their players, but not too much as to take off the task that they have to beat the opposition - and in this case the Munster game is more important than most think.
Coach Johan Ackermann admitted last weekend after the bonus point win over Cardiff that the side can’t think now of permutations, but simply have to keep on winning.
“Every game is important,” Ackermann said.
“We’re just unfortunately in that situation now. We will fight to stay in the Top 8 with every game. If we don’t get the result, we’ll put ourselves in jeopardy.
"If we get it, we stay in touch. So every game is vital. If Munster win, they go up. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter. We just have to keep winning.”
With that in mind, the team need the five points against a Munster side that will be boosted by a host of test players returning from the Six Nations. And a Munster side that is desperate after being blanked by the Sharks last weekend in Durban.
Munster lie sixth as to the Bulls eighth, and it isn’t an understatement what Ackermann said that a win for whichever team is a massive blow for the other in terms of the Race to the Eight.
That is why the milestones, which are normally a celebration, need to be handled carefully and the team needs to retain their focus.
For instance, the team milestones this week includes Springbok prop Gerhard Steenekamp, who will play his 100th match for the Bulls in European and Super Rugby. That’s no mean achievement for a player who quietly goes about his work and has become a vital part of the Bulls scrum.
Van Staden recently celebrated his 100th cap, but this weekend, if selected, he will join Kurt-Lee Arendse in running on for his 50th URC match for the Bulls, while Cameron Hanekom, who has just returned from a long term injury, will play his 50th match for the Bulls in all competitions.
In addition to this there are some significant personal milestones for two other players, as Handre Pollard reached 800 career points (total 802 – 7th on all-time list) for the Bulls on Friday night.
And to top it off, hooker Johan Grobbelaar needs 1 try for 50 career tries for the Bulls.
Most sides will welcome milestones for players who have served their franchise so well, and the Bulls will be no exception.
But it will come with a strong caveat that the standards can’t be dropped, and win is vital if the Bulls want a big run in at the playoffs.