Bulls against Stormers will come down to fine margins, says Werner Kruger
The hosts’ scrum coach is wary of the defending URC champions’ formidable forwards, especially in the set pieces
Bulls scrum coach Werner Kruger says their United Rugby Championship (URC) match against the Stormers at Loftus on Saturday will come down to fine margins at set-piece time.
The Bulls go into the match looking for their first URC win over the defending champions who have triumphed in all four previous meetings between the sides, including last season’s final.
“The north vs south derby is always going to be a physical battle. We are under no illusions that it is going to be a tough task up front,” Kruger said.
“It doesn’t matter what type of personnel they put up, their scrum is functioning really well as a unit and [as] a pack and that is definitely going to be a challenge for us.
“In derbies it is going to come down to fine margins. We are going to need our set-piece to function and work well to give ourselves a good chance.”
There is a possibility of rain in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon, and Kruger said players will have to adjust to contest the scrums.
“You have to make sure your feet are underneath you and the gap [between players] is not too big. The more there is movement, the more there is going to be a chance of someone slipping and the scrum going down.
“It is much the same in general play as well and in those conditions you are not going to be able to throw 20m passes. It tightens a bit when it is wet, but how the weather is going to be is unknown.
“On Tuesday [it] is nice and sunny outside but there has been rain for the past six days. Regardless of the weather or whatever else is going on for any team, it is just to stick to their structure.”
Kruger said the Bulls are happy to be back at home after a few matches on the road.
“Everyone is excited to be back at Loftus. We have only had one game in January and another in September at home. So it is exciting to be back at home and to play in front of a Loftus [crowd] that is selling out quickly.
“Some games we scrummed well and we have been a bit inconsistent in others, but this is the weekend we really have to focus and make sure it functions well.”