After flattening Munster 45-14 at Loftus Versfeld, a stampeding Bulls side will come out snorting when they face Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship semifinals on Saturday, coach Johan Ackermann said.
The Bulls boss said it was a privilege for his side to reach the last four, and they wanted to continue entertaining and inspiring at Murrayfield on Saturday.
After experiencing an alarming early season slump, a resurgent Bulls side have switched gears and have their eyes set on a first URC title.
“If you had asked me in January about us making it to the semis, I would definitely take it,” Ackermann said.
“I am very grateful. It is a privilege to be in the semifinals.
“Our set-piece was good against Munster, and the boys stayed in the fight, especially on defence.
“Munster are a quality side, and they have a lot of fight in them. We knew they wouldn’t stop coming, and they didn’t stop.
“The response from our players today [Saturday] was encouraging. I hope we keep doing that.”
Reaching the semifinals was the perfect way for Bulls skipper Ruan Nortjé to celebrate his 150th appearance for the franchise.
“We want to play rugby to inspire and to entertain,” Ackermann said.
“The whole goal about today was being grateful to play this game and for Ruan Nortje, who played his 150th game.
“Any win in a playoff is good. It keeps us alive. Whether it’s by 45 points or one point, it takes us to the next step in the competition.”
Ackermann says facing Glasgow Warriors in the semifinals at Murrayfield would be his team’s toughest test of the season.
“It is a nice challenge,” he said.
“We have to perform better than we did against Munster because Glasgow will punish you for soft errors.
“Playing away will also make it difficult.”
The Bulls have injury concerns before the match after wing Sergeal Petersen sustained a shoulder injury.
“We are a little worried that we might miss Sergeal, who injured his shoulder,” Ackermann said.
“Hopefully Cheswill Jooste will be in this week, with many injuries in our outside backs.
“The hardest test at a personal level was earlier in the season, but from a rugby point of view this will be a huge test against Glasgow.
“We can control only what we can control, travel and then prepare well.”
Ackermann said playing their semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield would make a difference.
Earlier in the season the Bulls lost to Glasgow in the URC and Investec Champions Cup quarterfinals at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow, which has an artificial 4G pitch that favours the home team.
Saturday’s semifinal will be played on Murrayfield’s grass pitch because Scotstoun is unavailable due to preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
“I see we play at Murrayfield and it’s a grass surface, so it makes a big difference,” Ackermann said
“The second game in the Champions Cup, we made mistakes; they exploited it, and credit to them.
“But the first game in the URC, they got a penalty try that swung the momentum, and it was clear in the review that it shouldn’t have been a penalty try.”
URC results: Glasgow Warriors 33 Connacht 21, Bulls 45 Munster 14, Stormers 44 Cardiff 21, Leinster 59 Lions 10.
Saturday’s semifinals: Glasgow Warriors vs Bulls and Leinster vs Stormers.
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