It is the best in England that the Vodacom Bulls will be preparing for when they look to bounce back from last week’s disappointing defeat to Saracens, where at times they looked completely spooked by Storm Darragh, by beating Gallagher Premiership champions Northampton Saints at Loftus on Saturday at 15:00 (SA Time).
The Vodacom Bulls will look to make the most of their home-ground advantage and the warm weather conditions, where they will be desperate to bounce back strongly from their disappointing 27-05 defeat against Saracens away last week and maintain their unbeaten run in Pretoria this season.
The men in blue are currently lying third on the Vodacom URC table, which will serve as a huge motivational factor against the Northampton Saints, who may be lying in eighth place on the Gallagher Premiership standings after three wins in seven outings, but who come off an emphatic 38-08 victory against Castres Olympique last weekend.
The afternoon heat and rarified atmosphere of the Highveld will much more to the Bulls liking to what they experienced in England, while the Saints can expect a double backlash from the Pretoria team, not only will the Bulls be desperate to atone for last week’s defeat, they will also remember the beating they took from the Saints in last year’s quarterfinal at Franklin Gardens.
The Bulls’ Bok loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp has spoken about the need for him and his teammates to gain revenge, and as we have seen from him at both club and international level this year, he is a man who doesn’t spew words without backing them up. There’ll be several other Bulls players on a mission at Loftus, not the least of them Steenekamp’s front row partners Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw.
If that trio get the bit between their teeth it could be a long night for the visitors at scrum time, while Willie le Roux and Canan Moodie will welcome the firmer surfaces of home in comparison to the wet they encountered last week.
With Northampton waiting, Jake White was not down after their loss to Saracens and said he expected a response from his side.
“Everyone plays in a competition to be there in the backend and we’ve got three games left; we’ve got Northampton, Castres and Stade Francais. We win those three games, the chances are very likely we’ll be in the playoffs, or the top 16 at least."