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Pretoria - All the Super Rugby talk this week has been centred around SANZAAR's decision to drop three franchises from next year's competition, but Bulls coach Nollis Marais has other worries.
He has guided his side to just one win from six matches in 2017, and last Saturday's 21-20 loss to the Sunwolves is being considered by many to be the darkest day in Bulls history.
It has left Marais under serious pressure to deliver a win against the Jaguares at Loftus this weekend, and while South Africa will lose two teams from next year's competition, Marais made it clear to media on Tuesday that his mind was elsewhere.
"I'm not too worried about that at the moment," Marais said, bluntly.
"I think it's interesting ... we knew it was going to come. It's going to put a lot of South African sides under pressure. You never know what the South African policy is going to be with who goes through and who not."
The Bulls, despite being woeful so far this year, are considered to be safe from the cull having won three Super Rugby titles between 2007 and 2010 as well as being one of the more financially sustainable franchises.
"I hear a Cats rumour and then I hear about a blue and red combination with us and the Lions, which would never work," Marais said.
"It's something that we can't control at the moment. We leave it up to the bosses and see what they can sort out."
While the Bulls have won just once, that win came in their only home game of the season so far against the Sunwolves. They now have a stretch of four successive home matches, and Marais will be desperate to turn things around.
