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Bulls expect Cardiff to cope with being away from comfort zone

rugby30 November 2022 08:36| © SuperSport
By:Gavin Rich
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Pine Pienaar © Gallo Images

The Vodacom Bulls, mostly through their director of rugby Jake White, have never shied away from hyping up the challenge altitude presents to teams that visit Loftus, but they acknowledge Cardiff might be a different story.

“Altitude does matter” or words to that effect were emblazoned across the entrance onto the Loftus playing field when the Bulls hosted the Cell C Sharks in the 2020 Currie Cup final. And the narrative has pretty much persisted since then, not only in games where South African coastal teams visit Pretoria, but also overseas visitors.

White’s team played a high tempo game, as they tend to do now, against the Ospreys last week, and said beforehand that he welcomed the warm weather that would make it difficult for his team’s opponents on the highveld. The Bulls were so committed to speeding the game up that they hardly employed their feared driving maul in the comfortable victory, if at all.

However, while Cardiff should find the conditions at Loftus very different from the wet weather and field that in their 35-0 humiliation of the Sharks last Sunday must have made them feel comfortable, Bulls assistant coach Pine Pienaar doesn’t think the Welsh team will be the fish out of water that some visiting teams are.

“They play on a synthetic pitch at home, which is a very fast surface, so they should be used to a fast game,” said Pienaar in looking ahead to Saturday’s match.

“The weather they played in against the Sharks would have suited them because of the wet and they have a lot of experience of playing in those conditions. They really put the marker down in that game against the Sharks and are clearly a well coached and managed side. But weather is not something we can control, so we will focus on ourselves this week.”

One thing the Bulls will definitely not be doing against Cardiff is taking them lightly. Not after the way they played the Sharks off the park in Durban. Not that it was a complete surprise to Pienaar, for he remembers how difficult Cardiff made it for the Bulls when they met at Cardiff Arms Park last October. The Bulls eventually drew away to win 29-19, which was their breakthrough win in the competition, but they were under pressure in the first half.

“We know how tough Cardiff are from playing them their last year, they gave us a hard time in the first half,” recalled Pienaar.

“The one thing about them is that they have some really special player, great individuals, and I would say from a balance point of view they are one of the better Welsh sides. Last year we struggled in the first half, and this year they have beaten the Sharks and the Stormers. That tells you they are a quality side.

“As you would have seen in Durban, they have a big set piece and drive the game perfectly,” he added.

The Bulls assistant coach added that Cardiff were adept at punishing teams that surrendered possession or didn’t look after it properly.

“They make you work hard for everything you want, they are so experienced and boast a lot of caps, particularly up front.”

Cardiff are on the rise after a poor 2021/22 URC season, with their current sixth position on the log after five wins in eight games putting them firmly in contention for the top eight position that will give them a place in the playoffs. That is something no team managed last year. They will also be eager in the Loftus game to get the win that will strengthen their currently strong position in the Welsh conference, which is the most direct route to the big prize of qualification for next year’s European Champions Cup.

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