Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee and fly-half Handré Pollard are calling for cool heads as they head to Newport to face the Dragons. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee says nothing can be taken for granted when playing Welsh teams in front of their vociferous crowds, and points out that the Bulls have never beaten the Scarlets in Wales.
The Bulls’ opposition on Saturday night, the Scarlets, are in 14th place on the United Rugby Championship log, but can beat any side on their day — a few months back, they beat champions Leinster.
“They’re a team that stays in the fight until the very last minute,” Coetzee said in a media conference on Tuesday in Llanelli.
“If you’re ill-disciplined or allow them into your half, they capitalise. That makes them very dangerous.
“We have always come up short against them, so the motivation is definitely there and there is everything to play for.”
The Bulls have twice lost to the Scarlets at their Parc y Scarlets Stadium — 37-28 in the 2022-23 season and 23-22 last season.
The Bulls were excellent in the second half of their match last week against the Dragons. The teams were level at halftime, but the Bulls pulled away in the second half to win 47-7.
But for all that effort, the men from Pretoria remained in eighth spot, just a point ahead of Connacht, who closed the gap on the Bulls courtesy of their surprise defeat of the Stormers in Cape Town.
“We are still under pressure. There are no easy games in Wales; their fans are passionate. This is a massive game for us, and we are approaching it with the greatest respect. We know it won’t be easy,” said Coetzee.