Too comfy in Bull Ring

The Blue Bulls, alongside Griquas and the rookie Eastern Province Kings, is one of the winless Currie Cup sides so far this season. So, is there cause for concern at Loftus Versfeld?

"Absolutely," says former Blue Bulls and Springbok prop Richard Bands.

After only two rounds of the competition some would argue that it is still way too early for the Pretoria side to be pushing the panic button, but the problems do appear to run deep.

Long before this year's Super 15 they had been struggling on the domestic scene.

In the past three seasons the Bulls, who have won the most titles (21) since the Currie Cup became an annual competition in 1968, have only managed to scrape through to one semifinal in 2012, and they failed to reach the playoff stages in 2011 and last season.

"There is cause to be concerned," Bands, who played for the Bulls until 2007, said yesterday.

"In the past two seasons the excuse was that they lost a number of senior players. In Super rugby you can always use that excuse, but not in the Currie Cup.

"When I joined the Bulls in the early 2000s most of the team was made up of no-name players.

"Our biggest concern in 2002 was that the only Boks we had were Joost van der Westhuizen and Anton Leonard. But this team is star-studded."

The Bulls went down 41-13 to the Golden Lions in their opening match of the Currie Cup before returning from Newlands with a 41-17 defeat to Western Province this last weekend. They had no fewer than six Bok-capped players in their starting side against Western Province.

What is the problem with the Bulls side, then?

"I think everyone is in a comfort zone. The players have nothing much to play for. A good coach has average players and coaches them to play well, but when you have a star-studded side and you don't get the results, then you start to question even the game plan.

"You can change a coach, the players and the tactics, but the basics stay the same. The Bulls aren't doing the basics right."