After a bumpy year, things are starting to smooth out for the Blue Bulls, fullback Ulrich Beyers believes.
The Bulls are bracing themselves for one of their biggest challenges of the season when they take on the Pumas in Nelspruit on Friday in a crucial Currie Cup encounter.
The battle at the Mbombela Stadium could be the game that seals the fate of both sides as they continue to vie for a play-off spot.
It has been a topsy-turvy season for the Bulls, marred with inconsistent performances and results, Beyers admits.
“It’s been a season of ups and downs since Super Rugby. But if you look back there are a lot of games that could have gone our way, but we ended up losing narrowly,” Beyers said.
“It’s been a bumpy season, but I think we learned a lot from it and as a group we’ve become stronger. Every time with our backs against the wall we delivered, that’s a good thing.”
The 23-year-old fullback knows very well about a bumpy ride and turning fortunes around. After four years at the Bulls, it is only in this season’s Currie Cup campaign that he has been a regular feature in the side’s starting XV.
For the past two seasons he has been playing second fiddle to Jurgen Visser. An injury to the initial first-choice No15 opened the door for Beyers to impress.
“There was a time when I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked, but now the opportunities have come and I’m really enjoying my game time. I’m getting my confidence back and feeling really good on the field. It’s so good to have an opportunity to play,” he said.
“Visser is a great player. It was unfortunate that he got injured, but that also opened the door for me. There’s also Jesse (Kriel), who is such a good and talented player. We push each other hard. It’s great to have the opportunity to have that race among us to try getting the No15 jersey.”
More important for the Pretoria-born fullback is to help the Bulls reach the final of the Currie Cup.
“It has always been my dream to play in the Currie Cup final, that is a big motivating factor for me. That’s what I want to achieve,” he said.
The former Junior Springbok is wary of the importance of the remaining two matches for the Bulls before the knockout stages of the competition.
“It’s definitely like the knockout games already. Every game now is like a final. We have to win both our remaining matches. We know anything can happen now. We go out this weekend knowing that the Pumas won’t be easy. I definitely think we can do well there. We’ve had a great week of preparation so far, we will do well,” he said.
“All of that motivates us to be the best that we can be. If you’re not going to be at your best then you will let the team down. We have a great bunch of guys and we complement each other so much.”
The Bulls face the Pumas at 7pm tomorrow.
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