Any team on a six-game losing streak will know the feeling of fingers being pointed squarely at the players, and the Vodacom Bulls are no different. But they also know they need their top players to fire.
The disjointed season - which has seen new coach Johan Ackermann only have the chance to select all fit players for the first time against the Stormers last weekend - has placed a massive amount of pressure on last season’s finalists, and it won’t let up as they head into the Investec Champions’ Cup this weekend.
The opening two losses in the Champions’ Cup mean that Ackermann and co aren’t really in a position to make a run for a good playoff place in the next round. This weekend’s opposition Bristol Bears have two wins and a bonus point to boot. They are heading to Loftus knowing that a win would put them in a very enviable position ahead of their last pool game against defending champions Bordeaux-Begles next weekend.
The Vodacom Bulls will look to end their losing streak when Bristol Bears visit Loftus this weekend in the #InvestecChampionsCup đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/WArf4fJIyc
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) January 7, 2026
For Ackermann though, there is no other choice. The losing streak needs to be stopped. The team needs continuity and belief and the only way they are going to do that is to get themselves over that line.
So while his first nine games in charge may have been team selections of mix and match, you can expect as much continuity this week as is humanly possible.
Canan Moodie won’t be available because of concussion and there is a real question mark on how long the concussion protocols will still take for Kurt-Lee Arendse, especially as he returned home from the Bok tour in November and has not been seen on the field since.
Marcell Coetzee should return to bolster the loose trio and several other players are slowly returning on the fringes from long term injuries, but the key aspect is that the Bulls need their Boks to perform.
And not only their Boks. While nobody tends to look good in a losing team, they fielded a pack with seven Springboks last weekend and could go one better this weekend. That Bok stat is just a stat unless the side plays like Springboks and they know it.
Paul de Wet’s calf injury robbed him of a chance against his former side while Handre Pollard has had little game time and showed glimpses of the player he is against the Stormers.
Willie le Roux and Pollard both had ups and downs against the Stormers but are capable of far better games, and Bulls fans will be hoping they can turn in performances that are worthy of Green and Gold this weekend.
Sebastian de Klerk tends to fire when Le Roux fires as well, and his killer instinct with the ball will only be rewarded if he is in space.
While some have focused their anger at the loss to the Stormers on individual players, the truth is, the Bulls started to show a lot more fight in the Stormers game, and easily could have won it. It felt more like the beginning of the turnaround than a capitulation - especially as their defence was better and the normal second-half slump wasn’t there.
Their bench needs work and it is a mystery what has happened to the superb form last season of someone like David Kriel, who has been a shadow of himself this season. And each loss has seen that confidence across the team erode even further.
Cape Town Stadium may not have been the turnaround the Bulls needed, but it was a step in the right direction.
What is needed now is to follow that up with a home win over Bristol and some crucial confidence play by the senior players in the side.
That won’t be enough to turn the season around just yet, but it will give them a dollop of confidence and a roadmap where to go as they try to survive in the Champions Cup before returning to URC action.
Ackermann has already indicated they will be going full out against Bristol. The players backed now need to show their talents and get the side home.