Losing key moments cost battling Bulls in Sharks game, says Ackermann

Losing key moments proved costly for the Bulls when they slumped to a 21-12 defeat against the Sharks in their United Rugby Championship clash in Durban on Saturday, says coach Johan Ackermann.

Ackermann had urged his players to dig themselves out of a deep hole after they were thrashed 50-5 by Northampton Saints in an Investec Champions Cup showdown in their previous outing.

The battling Bulls have lost their past five matches in the United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup in a row, and an anxious Ackermann is searching for answers.

“This defeat against the Sharks hurt us a lot because it felt like we were getting on top for most of the game, but then it didn’t happen, and it slipped away from us,” he said.

“We were getting scrum dominance but we did not capitalise because a few phases down the line, we would give the ball away.

“We lost key moments in the second half. It was one of those situations where the harder we tried, the more things did not go our way.

“The first intercept try of the Sharks — if the ball was a bit higher, we walk in on the other side. But their fullback makes a good read and gets a hand and goes and scores. You can argue maybe a cross-field kick would’ve been better, but it is too late.

“That is the frustrating part, that we did not use our opportunities every time. We understand that our supporters will feel let down, but sometimes you go through struggles for a reason.

“People who are struggling because they do not have work and do not have food. They keep on going, so how can we give up? We won’t, and I felt our players fought to the end.”

Ultimately it boiled down to one or two decisions. That is where the Sharks saw the back space and finished well and took the game away from us.

—  Johan Ackermann, Bulls coach

Ackermann said it was fantastic to see a near-capacity crowd of 45,000 fans turning up to watch the match at Kings Park.

“It is great for South African rugby for a local game to have that crowd, and it was nice for the players to see that amount of people.

“I had the privilege to play for the Sharks and you remember those days of big crowds in Durban. It was fantastic to see Kings Park so full. When you lose, you know you are letting down a lot of people. You do not really see the light — but life is bigger than us and God is in control.

“The positive for me was that the players kept on fighting right up until the very end. Our set piece was good, and there were some positive moments in defence where we kept on fighting.

“But when you lose, there must be some stuff that we have to fix and that is the challenge for us. Because at the end of the day people want results and that is what the Bulls need.”

Ackermann said he was concerned about the amount of time-wasting in the game.

“Every scrum was reset and those minutes take a lot of time out of the game. That is something we will have to discuss with the match officials.

“But you have to credit the Sharks — they used the opportunities they got. Neither team played their best rugby and there were a lot of mistakes.

“Ultimately it boiled down to one or two decisions. That is where the Sharks saw the back space and finished well and took the game away from us.”

The Herald