Vodacom Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has emphasised the need for his team to improve their defence and reduce errors to compete with Northampton on Sunday at 17:15 (SA Time).
Following a tough loss to Bordeaux Bègles, where the Bulls conceded seven tries, Ackermann stressed that the team's defensive record is "not good enough" and has been a major point of discussion within the squad.
He stressed the Bulls must "pull themselves together" and stop "leaking tries" to have a chance against the Saints.
“Defence is a big thing for us. Our defensive record this season is not good enough, that’s something we’re well aware of and something we keep talking about as a coaching group and as players.”
“If you look at that second half against Bordeaux, for about 20 minutes, we couldn’t exit our half. We gave away penalties, lost breakdowns, they kicked to the corner, we held them up over the line, then we kicked and conceded another penalty.”
“If you give one of the top teams, whether it’s Bordeaux, Glasgow, or any of the top sides, constant entries into your 22, you’re going to concede somewhere.”
“You can only afford to make so many mistakes. The obvious thing is the tries; we’re leaking close to five tries a game, and that’s not good enough. Any decent coach will tell you that.”
“But if we don’t fix the other things, discipline, exits, breakdowns, and positioning, we’re not going to make it easy for ourselves.”