Following the Vodacom Bulls' 43-33 United Rugby Championship 37-27 loss to the Lions on Saturday, head coach Johan Ackermann lamented his team's poor decision-making, lack of finishing their opportunities, and unforced errors, stating that the Bulls were their "own worst enemy".
“We have to take accountability,” Ackermann said. “There were moments where we did things well, but it was just too easy for them to get turnovers at crucial stages.
“We were probably our own worst enemy by trying to shift the ball to someone in a worse position instead of just carrying and recycling. We lost the ball in contact or forced a pass, and that’s how they scored their tries.”
Ackerman admitted that the leadership made costly decisions against the Lions. “Sometimes we ran when we should’ve kicked, and sometimes we kicked when we should’ve run,” he said. “When we did see the space, we didn’t finish. Our passing accuracy stopped momentum, and that’s why we looked disjointed at times.”
“The breakdown is definitely something we have to look at, but more than that, we must look at our decision-making with the ball,” he said. “We didn’t finish our opportunities. In the first minute, we were held up; they exited, and when they got one loose ball, they scored. That was the difference.”
The coach highlighted several momentum-swinging moments, including a knock-on on the Lions’ tryline shortly before the visitors countered to score.
“That’s the part that hurt us more, that we didn’t finish. Every little mistake we made, we got punished. Credit to the Lions for that.”
“We just have to fix it. Individuals must work on their skills, and as a team we must put more emphasis on our carry and breakdown. If you lose, training is normally a bit harder, because you have to fix those things.”
