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J.J. Harmse
Pretoria - The higher the intensity, the better the Bulls will perform against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday.
And, to get that right, the Bulls not only have to repeat that superb half hour of the Chiefs game, but play even better and ensure that quick possession is the order of the day.
That is the view of Bulls backline coach Pieter Rossouw, who provided an insight into how they will approach the Rebels game after training on Tuesday.
The Bulls are renowned for their excellent play from first phase possession (with lineout drives in particular destroying the Chiefs) and may follow that route.
However, that will mean that they would have to slow play down and force the Rebels into the kind of wrestling match that they are so accustomed with.
The other option is to test the visitors' lungs at altitude as the Rebels only arrived in South Africa on Tuesday.
"We will definitely follow the second option. I'm not so sure about jetlag because they have only arrived here now, but altitude will definitely be a factor. The idea will therefore be to raise the tempo," said Rossouw.
Another advantage the Bulls may gain from such an approach is to stretch the Rebels' defence.
The Rebels have conceded many tries (50) this year, though defensive weak link Danny Cipriani is not touring with the team.
"They use a kind of rush defence, so there may be holes if everybody does not work together. We will definitely look to exploit that, but as we saw against the Chiefs, the key to beating any defensive pattern lies in quick possession," said Rossouw.
"It will therefore be our aim to play with high-intensity and get quick possession."
The former Springbok wing will also warn his players about the dangers the Rebels could pose on attack.
"Yes, they concede a lot of tries, but they also score a lot (22, the same as the Bulls). It's because they don't hesitate to play high-risk rugby where the ball is off-loaded in the tackle and distributed," he said.
Rossouw was full of praise for wing acquisition Bjorn Basson, describing him "as supremely gifted, world class and one of a kind."
Those are big words and Rossouw does not hesitate to predict that the Bulls' leading try-scorer could be even more prolific if he's released into space.
"It is part of our plans," said Rossouw.
Basson is set to return to the starting line-up after being replaced by Akona Ndungane against the Chiefs for disciplinary reasons.
In another move Danie Rossouw is set to replace Victor Matfield, with the Bulls captain struggling with a sore neck and back.
Pretoria - The higher the intensity, the better the Bulls will perform against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday.
And, to get that right, the Bulls not only have to repeat that superb half hour of the Chiefs game, but play even better and ensure that quick possession is the order of the day.
That is the view of Bulls backline coach Pieter Rossouw, who provided an insight into how they will approach the Rebels game after training on Tuesday.
The Bulls are renowned for their excellent play from first phase possession (with lineout drives in particular destroying the Chiefs) and may follow that route.
However, that will mean that they would have to slow play down and force the Rebels into the kind of wrestling match that they are so accustomed with.
The other option is to test the visitors' lungs at altitude as the Rebels only arrived in South Africa on Tuesday.
"We will definitely follow the second option. I'm not so sure about jetlag because they have only arrived here now, but altitude will definitely be a factor. The idea will therefore be to raise the tempo," said Rossouw.
Another advantage the Bulls may gain from such an approach is to stretch the Rebels' defence.
The Rebels have conceded many tries (50) this year, though defensive weak link Danny Cipriani is not touring with the team.
"They use a kind of rush defence, so there may be holes if everybody does not work together. We will definitely look to exploit that, but as we saw against the Chiefs, the key to beating any defensive pattern lies in quick possession," said Rossouw.
"It will therefore be our aim to play with high-intensity and get quick possession."
The former Springbok wing will also warn his players about the dangers the Rebels could pose on attack.
"Yes, they concede a lot of tries, but they also score a lot (22, the same as the Bulls). It's because they don't hesitate to play high-risk rugby where the ball is off-loaded in the tackle and distributed," he said.
Rossouw was full of praise for wing acquisition Bjorn Basson, describing him "as supremely gifted, world class and one of a kind."
Those are big words and Rossouw does not hesitate to predict that the Bulls' leading try-scorer could be even more prolific if he's released into space.
"It is part of our plans," said Rossouw.
Basson is set to return to the starting line-up after being replaced by Akona Ndungane against the Chiefs for disciplinary reasons.
In another move Danie Rossouw is set to replace Victor Matfield, with the Bulls captain struggling with a sore neck and back.
