Vodacom Bulls captain Ruan Nortje confirmed Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones' presence at training in Pretoria as they prepare for their Investec Champions Cup clash against the Bristol Bears at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, describing his input as helping with "a few things" rather than major structural changes.
“Coach Felix was here today, just helping us with a few things in training. Nothing major.”
Nortje believes the primary challenge the Bristol Bears will bring to Loftus Versfeld on Saturday is their expansive and mobile style of play.
“Bristol has unbelievable quality. Our finishing will have to be a lot better than against the Stormers. They play very expansively, they run from everywhere on the field, and they’ve got very fit forwards who can almost operate as backs. Altitude won’t be such a big factor for them because they’re such a mobile pack, so we have to be prepared for anything.”
Their forward pack is exceptionally fit and mobile, capable of playing a style more typical of backline players, which minimises the impact of the high altitude at Loftus Versfeld.
The Bulls captain feels the contest will largely be decided in the scrums and lineouts, stating it will be a "big battle" to achieve dominance and provide quality ball for their own backs.
“For us, it’s going to come down to our scrums and lineouts. That’s going to be a big battle, who can get dominance, who can get go-forward, and then provide good-quality ball for the backs to attack from.”
Nortje remains convinced the Bulls are one result away from a revival. “There’s nothing like winning. One win can change everything overnight. We know what we’re capable of, we just have to get over that hurdle.”