Bulls looking to redeem themselves
After a disappointing end to their Super Rugby campaign, the Blue Bulls will go into this year’s Currie Cup competition seeking some redemption.
|||After a disappointing end to their Super Rugby campaign, the Blue Bulls will go into this year’s Currie Cup competition seeking some redemption.
While the door has been firmly closed on a Super Rugby competition that saw them come agonisingly close to making the play-offs, Bulls defence coach Pine Pienaar believes they can use the domestic competition to put a few demons to bed.
Their opening match will be important in not only setting the foundation for a good competition but also showing significant growth as a team from the failed attempts of the previous 12 months.
The men in blue with have the opportunity to meet losing finalists Western Province in their opening fixture on Friday night at Loftus Versfeld and they will be looking at putting down a marker for how they want to play for the remainder of the season.
“I think so. I think every competition brings something new and the Currie Cup is still very relevant to the players as they would have always wanted to play in it,” Pienaar said yesterday.
“It doesn’t matter who played in which competition, be it Super Rugby or the Currie Cup qualifiers, we are now a new team in a new competition and with a new group of players and management.
“There are a few new ideas we want to implement in the Currie Cup. What happened in the past is in the past and we are looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Pienaar also warned against carrying too much baggage from the past and using the Currie Cup as a platform to right the wrongs of Super Rugby.
He said it would be important to take heed of the lessons learnt from their shortcomings in Super Rugby.
“We did our review on the Super Rugby season and there are a few areas that we want to fix coming into the Currie Cup.
“You don’t want to use the Currie Cup as a competition to fix something for next year’s Super Rugby, so there are a few ideas we want to look at to try and be competitive in the Currie Cup.
“The quicker we can get over what happened in the previous competition and take out the lessons learnt then we can have a new energy for the competition ahead,” said Pienaar.
Springbok loose forward Arno Botha has been named as captain of the team for the Currie Cup and will alternatewith Nic de Jager, while former Junior Springboks captain Hanro Liebenberg will also assist with leading the team from time to time.
Meanwhile, the Blue Bulls Company have confirmed the signing of Conraad van Vuuren from the Cheetahs who will only join at the end of the year, while Maties prop John Roy Jenkinson joined the team yesterday on a two-year deal. Tony Jantjies has agreed to a contract extension until the end of next year after resurrecting his career earlier this year after returning from a stint with the Kings. - The Star