25 October 2026
Vodacom Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann has demanded immediate discipline fixes after his side’s second-half slump marred a 34-26 United Rugby Championship (URC) bonus-point victory over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Despite securing the maximum five log points, the Pretoria franchise let a commanding 21-0 lead slip through a string of unforced errors and breakdown penalties.
Ackermann voiced significant frustration with Scottish referee Ru Campbell, questioning the consistency of the officiating at the set-piece and breakdown. The Bulls pack dominated the scrum physics throughout the afternoon but received little reward until late in the contest.
“I’m trying to be diplomatic. If I say something wrong, it’ll cost me,” Ackermann stated post-match. “There were big moments that I felt influenced possession or territory. Maybe it was the occasion, or inexperience at this level; I don’t know how many URC games he’s done. There were two or three grey moments at the breakdown and scrums.”
The coach highlighted a technically perfect sequence involving Cheswill Jooste and Elrigh Louw that was instead penalised, as well as an illegal block on a quick throw-in. The Bulls' technical analyst has already flagged these specific clips to send to the URC refereeing panel for formal clarity.
“Our technical analyst has already marked all the questions we have,” Ackermann explained. “One example is a quick throw-in. We wanted to throw quickly, they blocked the ball, and then they went out, came back and kicked it, and it was a penalty. All we ask for is consistency.”
However, Ackermann refused to use the officiating as an excuse for the Bulls’ failure to close out the match clinically. Loose play and soft penalties handed Ulster easy exit options and territorial entry straight back into the Bulls' 22-metre area.
“At the end of the day we weren’t clinical for 80 minutes, but we also showed a lot of fight,” Ackermann conceded. “Our execution was not good. So many times a soft penalty either released pressure on them and let them exit, or put pressure on us by giving them entry into our 22.”
With an upcoming tour fixture against the Scarlets on the horizon, the Bulls coaching staff will use Monday’s review sessions to reset the squad's defensive urgency and mental focus. Ackermann stressed that internal execution must improve drastically if they are to maintain their unbeaten run.
“I felt we had them on the ropes by half-time, and in the second half our discipline was not good enough,” said Ackermann. “We made it quite easy for them.”
