Vodacom Bulls flanker Marcell Coetzee and stand-in captain believe the new-look Vodacom Bulls have taken those lessons to heart from the three losing United Rugby Championship finals and are determined to respond positively.
“I think if you play for this union, you always back yourself in any format you play with, and also in finals, it’s not always easy.”
“Even the road to finals can be difficult. “On the day we just met, a Leinster side that was hungrier, and we didn’t have an answer for that. But in failure, you do get your learnings, and we’ve identified stuff that didn’t work for us, and we want to continue building that towards the new season. But on the day we just met a Leinster side that was hungrier, and we didn’t have an answer for that.”
“But in failure, you do get your learnings, and we’ve identified staff that didn’t work for us and we want to continue building that towards the new season.”
According to Coetzee, Johan Ackerman has seamlessly fitted into the Bulls’ culture and given players confidence to express themselves. He said Ackerman is approachable and honest with his feedback, qualities he believes are already helping the team grow.
“What you see is what you get from the coach. He has an open-door policy, and for a player, that is what you want. The whole style is great so far, and I think the players are really enjoying it.”
There are several new faces at Loftus Versfeld. Handré Pollard, Jan Serfontein, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Paul de Wet, Jeandré Rudolph, and Sti Sithole.
However, the Bulls’ injury list remains worrying. Elrigh Louw, Nizaam Carr, Akker van der Merwe, Ruan Vermaak and Cameron Hanekom.
Coetzee said that the experienced players from overseas have made a major impact.
“They bring a lot of experience from overseas, and then with the youngsters that joined us for the URC, they feed off that.”
“I also see the standard at training, and I think it’s been very positive so far. The boys get along very well with them, and they basically came home, and it’s great to have them here.”
