Bulls sitting pretty as URC breaks for Six Nations

The Bulls are showing signs of a revival after a torrid first season under Johan Ackermann, and the United Rugby Championship (URC) world could still be their oyster, as they will go into the second half of the season having returned to the top eight.

The Bulls, having beaten Edinburgh away and thrashed the Lions at Ellis Park in their past two outings, are seventh in the standings on 25 points, 10 points behind Munster in sixth place.

But the Bulls have a game in hand on Munster, as well as three other teams above them on the log — Cardiff (36), Leinster (40) and Glasgow Warriors (44). When they return to action on February 28 — the URC is taking a break for the Six Nations tournament — a bigger reason for them to be optimistic is that their last eight matches include six at home.

When the Bulls are playing well, Loftus Versfeld is a fortress, and even their two away games, visits to the Dragons and Scarlets, are clashes with Welsh teams now 14th and 15th on the table. The Bulls finish their round-robin campaign with home matches against bottom-of-the-log Zebre and 11th-placed Benetton.

The three-time runners-up get back into action with two crucial home derbies against the Sharks and Stormers; win those and the Bulls will be contemplating winning all six remaining games, while victories in Newport and Llanelli are not impossible.

“We need to hang in there; this win has put us in a good position in the URC, and we are also in the top 16 in Europe. We still have a lot of work to do, and it’s going to be a huge challenge. But I hope the players turn off a bit now in the break,” Ackermann said after their 52-17 win over the Lions at the weekend.

“I just want them to enjoy what they are doing, and if we can get into the playoffs, then I don’t think anybody will want to play us there. I’m proud of the guys and their effort, and it took a lot of effort. When we got it going, we really did well,” Ackermann said.

The Sharks are in ninth place, just one point behind the Bulls, but they return to the URC with successive visits to the Highveld to take on the Lions and Bulls. One fancies they will need at least half a dozen points from those two derbies, and they then host two top-six sides in Munster and Cardiff, though you would fancy those two teams sending weakened squads because those matches are straight after the Six Nations ends.

The Stormers, who have dropped down to third place after back-to-back losses to the Sharks, also have two away derbies to resume, at Ellis Park and Loftus Versfeld. Four home matches follow, but they have a really tough last three fixtures, hosting high-flying Glasgow Warriors and then playing fourth-placed Ulster and Cardiff (fifth) away from home. If they can win two of those last three games, you would fancy them for a home quarterfinal.

The Lions have slipped to 10th on 24 points, just one point off seventh, and they have a crucial run of six straight matches at home. Two of those are derbies against the Sharks and Stormers, and they host Glasgow on April 18 before ending with away games against Irish giants Leinster and Munster.

Coach Ivan van Rooyen knows they have to grow in consistency if they are to make the playoffs.

“We have six more matches at home, and it’s not just the energy but also the execution that needs to be more consistent. It’s going to be a big March, April, and May for us, so having the next week off is much-needed. We know the last two games are going to be really tough — Leinster and Munster away — so we need to do most of the work before then,” Van Rooyen said.