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J.J. Harmse
Pretoria - The Bulls need to stand up and prove that they have the desire to again be crowned Super Rugby champions this year.
And it has to start with Saturday’s match against the Reds.
That is the view of coach Frans Ludeke and flank Derick Kuün, who will be wearing the No 6 jersey for the first time this year after it previously belonged to Deon Stegmann.
Ludeke says the match is one that could make or break the Bulls' season.
"This week has its own unique challenges and I’m positive that the team will react in the correct manner," said Ludeke.
"The Reds are not at the top of the log for nothing. They have developed the ability to adapt their tactics according to their opponents. We have seen it the entire season. As we saw against the Stormers, they kick the ball well behind their opponents and play for territory a lot more than in the past."
Last year the Reds attempted to run the Bulls off their feet in Brisbane and hardly ever kicked. Ludeke realises that it may again be the approach.
"They are able to carry the ball from everywhere and not afraid to do it, but I believe there has been a change in their philosophy and they are definitely kicking more."
Ludeke added that his players had responded positively to the video session and analysis of the Crusaders game.
"There is definitely renewed hope after the session. We also did good things, but could not get into the game mentally. I'm satisfied that we could force them into a lot of mistakes. We weren't consistent enough and if you want to achieve, that has to be part of your make-up. That was our focus this week."
The team is under pressure, but Ludeke says his players are reacting well.
"The desire has to be big enough to banish the negative thoughts. And the desire is there. We want to pull this one off. It's going to take a huge effort, but the guys want to win."
Kuün, who celebrated his 50th game for the Bulls with a try on the same field last year, believes it's time for the Bulls team of 2011 to show who they are. The 26-year-old flank is playing his 64th Super Rugby match.
"There are two things that are ‘killing’ us. The one is turnover possession at critical times and the other is execution," Kuün wrote on website supersport.com.
"The team now realises that the room for mistakes is fast disappearing and we now have to start showing that we want to be champions if we still want to be in contention further down the line. It's precisely what we want to do, because that is what we want to be," said Kuün.
Pretoria - The Bulls need to stand up and prove that they have the desire to again be crowned Super Rugby champions this year.
And it has to start with Saturday’s match against the Reds.
That is the view of coach Frans Ludeke and flank Derick Kuün, who will be wearing the No 6 jersey for the first time this year after it previously belonged to Deon Stegmann.
Ludeke says the match is one that could make or break the Bulls' season.
"This week has its own unique challenges and I’m positive that the team will react in the correct manner," said Ludeke.
"The Reds are not at the top of the log for nothing. They have developed the ability to adapt their tactics according to their opponents. We have seen it the entire season. As we saw against the Stormers, they kick the ball well behind their opponents and play for territory a lot more than in the past."
Last year the Reds attempted to run the Bulls off their feet in Brisbane and hardly ever kicked. Ludeke realises that it may again be the approach.
"They are able to carry the ball from everywhere and not afraid to do it, but I believe there has been a change in their philosophy and they are definitely kicking more."
Ludeke added that his players had responded positively to the video session and analysis of the Crusaders game.
"There is definitely renewed hope after the session. We also did good things, but could not get into the game mentally. I'm satisfied that we could force them into a lot of mistakes. We weren't consistent enough and if you want to achieve, that has to be part of your make-up. That was our focus this week."
The team is under pressure, but Ludeke says his players are reacting well.
"The desire has to be big enough to banish the negative thoughts. And the desire is there. We want to pull this one off. It's going to take a huge effort, but the guys want to win."
Kuün, who celebrated his 50th game for the Bulls with a try on the same field last year, believes it's time for the Bulls team of 2011 to show who they are. The 26-year-old flank is playing his 64th Super Rugby match.
"There are two things that are ‘killing’ us. The one is turnover possession at critical times and the other is execution," Kuün wrote on website supersport.com.
"The team now realises that the room for mistakes is fast disappearing and we now have to start showing that we want to be champions if we still want to be in contention further down the line. It's precisely what we want to do, because that is what we want to be," said Kuün.
