Brenden Nel - SuperSport

Johannesburg - Springbok lock Victor Matfield admitted to being a very worried man after his Bulls side’s less than impressive start to this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby competition.

Matfield, who has led South Africa’s most successful franchise to three Super Rugby titles in the last four years, is concerned after his side first gave up an 18-match unbeaten record to the Highlanders a fortnight ago, then went and lost their derby match to the Stormers on Saturday.

In those two games, as with their opening victories over the Cheetahs and Lions, the Bulls looked listless, tired and unable to impose their game plan on the opposition. Poor handling, poor discipline and an inability to hold onto the ball all contributed to their downfall.

Matfield has spoken about the team “clicking” sooner rather than later, but you get a sense from the camp that they would have expected this to happen by now. The fact they were not able to dominate the collisions against the Stormers has made them nervous for the rest of the competition.

Of course it is still early days in a longer competition, and the Bulls will be hoping their players’ class turns into form sooner than later, but for the Loftus faithful patience is truly a virtue this season.

Matfield admitted there were some serious problems to be looked at, especially the fact the Bulls simply cannot get out of first gear this season.

“It is definitely something that is worrying me, especially after two losses,” the Bok lock said, “It is not something we are used to and we will have to work hard to rectify these things. This week we will have to put everything behind us and focus just on the Lions. We can’t worry further than that, we can only take it one game at a time.”

The Bulls captain’s concern comes from the fact the Bulls simply cannot get the basics right at this stage of the competition. Senior Springboks’ handling skills are questionable, while their decision-making at vital stages of the matches is also under question. Discipline, and giving away too many kickable penalties, was also a killer blow against the Stormers.

“We always do things accurately, that’s what usually makes us good. We don’t lose a scrum or a lineout and we put other teams under pressure,” Matfield explained his frustrations. “Against the Stormers when the conditions are wet, it is even more so. You can’t really play rugby accurately in this weather, so it is more getting the ball in the right areas and waiting for them to make mistakes.

“Instead we made the mistakes and they played off our mistakes and they used their opportunities. In those conditions we were never ahead, we were always chasing. It makes it more difficult to be patient and to claw your way back.”

The Bulls will know after their video session today just how much work needs to be done. But hard work, with a sense of responsibility is what is needed here. The Bulls aren’t done just yet, but if they don’t heed the warnings, the season could be a long one for them.