'I thought we left a few points out there‚' says Bulls coach Pote Human
Bulls coach Pote Human says his charges should have scored more tries in their 32-17 Super Rugby win over the Reds that only came alive in the second half at Loftus on Saturday.
The home side prevailed with five tries to two but elementary mistakes up-front cost them what could have been an even bigger and more comprehensive victory.
“I thought we left a few points out there in terms of tries.
"But we know that there is still stuff we must work on‚ especially after the huge disappointment of the loss to the Jaguares‚” he said after the match.
“Having guys like Handrè Pollard‚ Jesse Kriel‚ Warrick Gelant and RG Snyman back is going to make a huge difference for us in the remaining matches and it is good to have them back.
"I thought RG played unbelievably good coming back after a long injury lay-off.
"Warrick is an awesome player with very good skills-set and I glad that he is in the mix for the Boks at this stage.”
The Bulls‚ who have climbed to the top of the SA Conference and second overall‚ have a bye this week and Human will give the players time off.
The Springboks players will report for a mini-camp with Rassie Erasmus as part of the preparations for the World Cup later this year.
They resume their Super Rugby campaign in two weeks time with a daunting trip to Cape Town where they will be looking to register a double over the Stormers.
“The Boks have a Springboks camp this week and the other guys are going home.
"We learned from the last time we had a bye and fortunately for us we are going to the Stormers after the break‚ which is always a huge game.
"I am sure that the guys will rested be ready for the challenge.”
Reds coach Brad Thorn gave credit to the Bulls for their hard-fought victory.
“It was a tough game to watch but credit must go to the Bulls for the win because they did some good stuff out there‚" he said.
"We slowly improved in the second half with the help of guys coming off the bench but it was a disappointing night.
"Every game is tough in Super Rugby‚ especially coming to Pretoria.
“For us it’s about consistency and every team has been struggling with that.
"It is about preparations during the week because you can’t just turn up and expect to win the match.
"When you come to SA‚ it is a long-haul trip and different time zones and all that type of stuff‚ but it doesn’t matter because you still have to play the game.”
The Bulls' tries were scored by Lizo Gqoboka‚ Marco van Staden‚ Handrè Pollard‚ Handro Liebenberg and Jade Stighling while Samu Kerevi replied for the Reds with a brace.