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Johannesburg - Bulls flank Ruan Steenkamp may have had a roller coaster ride from Tuks to Super Rugby this season but he believes his team-mates aren’t facing an impossible task when they meet the Hurricanes at Loftus Versfeld in their Super Rugby
According to the SuperSport website, Steenkamp knows just how much the Bulls hurt after their big loss to the Lions and is keen to help them show a better performance when they take on the defending champions this weekend.
“We don’t have to hide it away, everyone knows where we are at the moment. We’re not having the season we wanted to. We have had some good games as well but as a team there is a lot we are still learning.
“We are busy building as a team. The Hurricanes are a big game and we know we will need to jol. We know every week we need to put the hard work in and then we need to believe in ourselves, come out and leave everything on the field.”
Steenkamp believes it was the little things that cost his team against the Lions, who are definitely at the top of their game at the moment.
“That is difficult. The Lions are a very good team, and you cant take anything away from them but there were momentum changes, if you can call it that, things that went wrong and it shifted the momentum. It was small things but at Super Rugby level is the difference between winning and losing, and a big score like that.”
Going up against some of his heroes this weekend is one thing, but another battle against Ardie Savea - who he went up against in the under-20 championship, is something he is relishing.
“It was an honour to play against New Zealand teams. You grow up and you see guys like Jerome Kaino and Liam Messam, those are your heroes and now you get a chance to play against them.
You want to test yourself against the best and a guy like Ardie Savea, we played against each other at SA under-20 level.
“I have played against a lot of those guys but at the end of the day when you are out on the field, you need to stand your ground and every guy wants to be the best in his position on the day.”
And his role in preventing the Hurricanes from getting quick ball will be crucial to his side’s chances.
“It is a big factor, we spoke about it today. They are one of the teams that get the quickest ball in the competition. At the end of the day to slow down ball, it takes a good tackle as well. If all 15 guys can put in good tackles, then it will be great. And as a six flank you need to do that work. It is definitely a focus point.”
Steenkamp knows his side are up against it, but says if there is enough belief, anything can happen this weekend.
