Speaking ahead of the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, 30 May 2026 at 13:00 (SA Time), Vodacom Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee said that Irish sides always "stay in the fight to the last minute" and have a unique "never-say-die " attitude capable of disrupting the Bulls' rhythm.
“We are not looking past a tough Munster side, to be honest. We are focusing on Munster 110%. So we want to be accurate on the day, and we want to impose our game plan. That picks you up in training, motivating the guys.”
After surviving a tough, low-key run to fourth place on the log, which included a stressful losing streak early on, Coetzee believes the squad has adapted well to a high-pressure "knockout mindset" every single week.
“We were under pressure through the season, and it kind of forced us to be in a knockout rugby mindset every week. So we got used to that pressure. We find our mojo through those challenges, and we want to take that to the play-off stage.”
Despite reports that Munster will travel without injured star flyhalf Jack Crowley, Coetzee completely dismissed the idea that a reshuffled lineup weakens the visitors, stating they have an incredibly settled system that works regardless of the squad they bring.
“I don't think it will really change that much,” Coetzee insisted. “They've got a system that works for them.”
“We've got some ideas that we want to implement on the day. So it's all about rising to the occasion and enjoying the moment now.”
“They've been playing knockout rugby for the last few weeks, so I think they're pretty settled, whichever squad they bring. For us, it's just being mentally prepared for what's coming.
Coetzee noted that Munster has specific ways to break teams down and systematically ruin their tactical flow. Memories remain fresh from their regular-season clash where the Bulls survived a fierce Munster comeback to win 34-31.
Coetzee highlighted that a lack of accuracy late in that match allowed Munster back into the game. Munster has been effectively playing knockout rugby for weeks just to secure their spot, making them mentally sharp and dangerous.
“That’s one thing about the Irish sides, they'll always stay in the fight to the last minute,” Coetzee warned. “Munster in particular, they've got ways to break you down and disrupt your rhythm.
“We just have to counter that this weekend. You know, we've got a set plan that we want to implement on the day, and it's all about finding that rhythm and them not disrupting that."
“They scored some good tries in the second half, and maybe the accuracy from our side wasn’t that spot on. That's something we have to fix going into this game.”