The Bulls have recently made a habit of snatching defeats from the jaws of victory, but Jan-Hendrik Wessels says they have got their act together after two weeks of introspection.
The Bulls play French club Castres on Saturday night (10pm kick-off), and have to win to give themselves a slim chance of staying alive in the Champions Cup after losing their first two matches.
“We have discussed what has gone wrong in the last two games (against Northampton and the Sharks), and there are periods where we are not all on the same page or we fold under pressure,” the hooker-cum-loosehead prop said.
“We have been trying to understand why we react (badly) in certain situations.
“We believe there is no specific thing we have to change or that there is a major problem,” Wessels added.
“We are creating opportunities and controlling games, but then make small errors that cost us converting pressure into points.
“We are working hard on fixing the areas where we have been slipping up, but to sum up, there is no big issue – and we are confident we can put it behind us.”
One aspect the Bulls have changed has been their travel plans.
Wessels said that they normally arrive in Europe on a Tuesday, but they have given themselves more time in France for this game.
“We travelled on Sunday evening and arrived on Monday morning, and have settled in well. It was a direct flight to Paris, so we have no complaints about travel. We are preparing for the game in Toulouse (in the south of France), and will travel to Castres on Friday.”
The 23-year-old said that being in the home city of the current Champions Cup holders had reminded the Bulls about the competition’s status in France.
“Being in Toulouse and training at their ground, we are seeing the excitement about the Champions Cup and how proud the people are of their team.”
Wessels was put on the spot by a French reporter who questioned the strength of of the South African teams when they play overseas.
He answered tactfully and with conviction.
“We are not in the competition just to participate,” Wessels said. “We want to beat the top French and English clubs.
“It is a massive competition: the best club competition in the world. We are pushing hard, and have not sent a B side. We want to win games.”
Wessels said that while the Bulls have not given up hope of progressing in the Champions Cup, they want to start winning again full-stop.
The Bulls are on a four-game losing streak across the URC and Champions Cup, and last won a match on October 25, when they beat Benetton away.
“Ending the losing streak is massive to us,” he said.
“We have not had good results in recent games, and we want to change that and establish some momentum.
“It will be a big statement to make if we can win this game, and turn things around in the Champions Cup and our season in general.”
In their way is a nuggety Castres team who are mid-table in the Top 14 and seriously difficult to beat on their home ground.
“Castres are a very good team. They have had some good results, including a Champions Cup victory (Castres have beaten Pau and Bayonne recently in the Top 14 to back up a Cup defeat of Munster), and are very hard to beat on their small home ground.”
The Castres stadium is a compact 12 000-seater, and the home supporters are fanatical.
“We are up against a proper side. It will be a big battle. We have some players who have played in France and know the grounds.
“French sides are always strong at home, and we know that it will be 12 000 fans shouting against us. It is no place to mess around. We have to be on top of our game.”