It will be hand-to-hand combat in the trenches when a gritty Munster outfit face the Bulls in a key United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, Bulls loose forward Cobus Wiese says.
Smarting after being blanked 45-0 by the Sharks in Durban last week, the Irish side have been boosted by the return of prop Jeremy Loughman, scrumhalf Craig Casey and flyhalf Jack Crowley for Saturday’s clash (2pm kickoff).
After losing to the Stormers in their previous outing, the Bulls got back on the winning track when they thrashed Cardiff 40-7 last week to consolidate their position in eighth place on the URC log.
“Munster are obviously a top Irish team and a well-coached side,” Wiese said. “They stay in the fight, and it’s definitely going to be a massive challenge at Loftus.
“We’ve spoken all week about the fact that they’re going to come out after their loss against the Sharks, wanting to prove a point, so we have to prepare for that.
“They got the better of us the last time they played here in 2024. If you look back at our game against Cardiff, it might seem sluggish, but often it’s just about finishing the play when you have momentum.”
“It’s easy to go out of structure, and that’s where the discipline of the team and the game drivers have to step in to keep the momentum and the pressure going.
“We could have finished Cardiff off better than we did, but it’s something we’ll work on — to stick to the task and keep doing what’s working for us.”
Wiese said the Bulls would have to dig deep if they wanted to get over the line against Munster.
“If you want the simple answer [to what is needed to win], it’s being more desperate. But if you look at it a bit deeper, any team coming to Loftus wants to make a statement.
“It’s a tale as old as time: if you dominate the forwards, you’re going to win the game and put yourself in a good position. So for me personally, and as a pack of forwards, we have to pride ourselves on being physical.
“That’s not to say we’re more physical than Munster, because they’ve got a quality pack. But for us now, it’s focusing on ourselves and moving forward as a unit.”
Wiese said Munster would be a different kettle of fish at Loftus because of their returning internationals.
“Jeremy Loughman is one of the few props in Ireland who can play both sides, so we’ve definitely taken note of that. He’s a quality player and got some game time in the Six Nations.
“And then Crowley and Casey — I think Jack Crowley is the best 10 in Ireland at the moment. He reads the game well and manages it well. So we expect Munster to bring a massive fight. They’ll want to bounce back, and what better way to do it than to beat the Bulls at Loftus.”
Weekend URC fixtures
Friday: Sharks v Cardiff.
Saturday: Bulls v Munster, Lions v Dragons, Stormers v Edinburgh.
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