‘No room for losses anymore': Bulls look to reinstate Loftus fortress
The Bulls are unhappy with their 70% win record at home this season.
The Bulls cannot afford to lose any more games in front of their supporters at Loftus. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images.
The Bulls have spoken of their desire to improve on their 70% home win record this season, feeling that it's below par for one of South Africa's most successful unions.
They will aim to start that improvement against the last-placed Dragons on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), with the Welsh side having secured just one win in this United Rugby Championship campaign.
Of the Bulls' four URC defeats so far, two have come at Loftus – against the Stormers and Sharks. They also lost to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup in Pretoria.
Their home form has otherwise been decent, if not stellar: six wins from eight in the URC and one from two in the EPCR, yielding a 70% win rate at Loftus.
Interestingly, they have built much of their momentum on the road, where they've claimed eight wins from 13 matches across all competitions – a 61.5% away win rate. While lower than their home return, that's an impressive figure considering it came against some of the best sides in Europe.
'Makes a massive difference'
Despite earlier inconsistencies, they've now won all three of their most recent home games.
But if the Bulls hold onto their second place on the URC table, which they will if they just secure a losing bonus point against Dragons should Glasgow do the unexpected and win away against Leinster with a bonus point, then they will play at least their quarter-final and semi-final at home.
'It makes a massive difference playing play-offs at home,' Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar told media during the week.
He said their best games have been overseas this season, and although their losses at home were against good teams, this was not good enough anymore. 'There is no room for losses anymore. If we want to make it to the end we have to win especially at Loftus.'
Bulls say this is the year they win the URC
The Bulls lost to the Glasgow Warriors in last year's URC final at Loftus (final score 21–16). They also lost the 2021/22 final against the Stormers at Loftus (final score 18–13).
They only got as far as the quarter-finals in 2022/23, crashing out to eventual runners-up, the Stormers.
Grobbelaar believes this is the season they will go all the way.
'We are definitely growing and learning and we will take the learnings from the previous three seasons into this season. And we will make sure we will finish strong and pull through in the final.
'We have to learn from our previous mistakes and be the best we can be.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
33 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Goosen at fly half for URC semi-final against Sharks
Which Johan Goosen will arrive at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday? This question is probably the biggest concern for Bulls fans after Jake White announced his team to take on the Sharks in Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final at Loftus Versfeld. Goosen, who has struggled with injuries this season, has been included as the starting fly half for Saturday's semi-final, after injuring his knee in a match against Cardiff a month ago. Since then, the Bulls have built momentum without him on their way to the knockout rounds of the competition. However, according to White, Goosen has recovered and looked particularly sharp on the training field this past week. There is no doubt that a fit Goosen has the talent, experience and rugby IQ to be a match-winner for the Bulls on Saturday. The opposite is unfortunately also true, as Goosen is one of those enigmatic rugby players who can sometimes play brilliantly, only to lose his mojo in the next game. If Johan Goosen the rugby wizard turns up, he could be a trump card for the Bulls against a Sharks team that has arguably built even better momentum with impressive performances in the last few league matches of the tournament. The Sharks also showed their character in last week's thrilling quarter-final match against former URC champions, Munster. This is a team that has come under heavy criticism from both their own supporters and the general rugby public due to the fact that, during the past few seasons, they have dramatically underperformed despite the fact that they have so much experience and top players in their ranks. There can be no doubt that John Plumtree's men will be a team on a mission when they appear at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Playoff games are about percentage rugby, focus under pressure and taking every possible opportunity to score points. With both teams boasting great packs of forwards teeming with Springboks, the role of the half-backs will be crucial on Saturday. White also selected Keagan Johannes, who has had very good performances for the Bulls at fly half since Goosen's injury, on the bench as an insurance policy. With two teams in good form, Saturday's semi-final promises to be a classic titanic arm wrestling match. Kick-off time is 18:15. According to the Blue Bulls Company, the match is almost sold out, with fewer than 5000 tickets still available. BULLS vs SHARKS STARTING XV: 1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 3. Wilco Louw, 4. Cobus Wiese, 5. JF van Heerden, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Ruan Nortje (c), 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Johan Goosen, 11. Sebastian de Klerk, 12. Harold Vorster, 13. David Kriel, 14. Canon Moodie, 15. Willie le Roux REPLACEMENTS: 16. Akker van der Merwe, 17. Simphiwe Matanzima, 18. Mornay Smith, 19. Jannes Kirsten, 20. Marco van Staden, 21. Zak Burger, 22. Keagan Johannes, 23. Devon Williams Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Sharks vs Bulls: Siya Kolisi fired up for Loftus showdown
Based on the heavy criticism directed their way, you could be forgiven for thinking the Sharks have had a poor season in the United Rugby Championship, but Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi said all that matters is putting in a strong performance in their semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, in Pretoria, on Saturday. The Sharks finished the regular season third on the 16-team table, behind only the Bulls and Leinster. The Sharks scraped through their quarter-final against Munster, winning in a rare penalty shootout. One of the reasons there's been much criticism of the Sharks is that they have no fewer than 12 Springboks in their squad. Though regular captain Eben Etzebeth has been ruled out for the semi, it's not much of a disruption for Kolisi to take the captaincy reins. His first point of order was batting aside unwarranted jabs at his side. "I know this is a massive topic, there are many reasons why we haven't played to our full potential. A lot of people are looking at the results and the way we play,' Kolisi told "The most important thing is we are winning, and we know there will be a day where we will play well. We have a lot of confidence [in beating the Bulls] as our team has done this before. We have beaten the Bulls three times this season, but we know all of that means nothing and it will be a new fixture this weekend. We have a lot of confidence heading into the match.' During the penalty shootout with Munster, Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrickse mysteriously lay prone on the field with apparent cramp after taking his kick. He was then seen winking at Munster's Jack Crowley in a clear act of gamesmanship, which sparked outrage from the visitors and on social media. Kolisi, though, gave his full backing to Hendrickse following the incident. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with what Jaden did there. These things happen in rugby, and other teams have done similar things before. Sometimes people also say things to me in a game, and the onus is on the person and what they do when they are provoked." "There are players in Jack's team [Munster] who also do the exact same thing to other players from the opposition. It's just that this time on the day, it was heard from the referee's mic. We stand with Jaden!" @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Jake White: Goosen's return crucial for URC playoffs as Bulls eye victory over Sharks
Bulls flyhalf Johan Goosen is back from injury and will start as flyhalf in the URC semi-final against the Sharks in Pretoria on Saturday Image: BackpagePix Johan Goosen trained like he hasn't been away and that is one of the reasons why Jake White included him in the Bulls' starting team for the United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld. The Pretoria side will look to snap a two-match losing streak this season on Saturday evening (6.15 pm kick-off) as they aim for a consecutive finals berth in the tournament. Goosen is the only change to the starting lineup, with Keagan Johannes dropping to the bench for the do-or-die duel. White says considering how well Goosen has played next to scrumhalf Embrose Papier and inside centre Harold Vorster, he has no doubt the flyhalf will slot in with ease. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'One thing about him (Johan) is that he is always in and out and in. So if anyone says he is not game-ready, that is usually how he has played in his career,' White explained the inclusion of the veteran. 'I am sure some of you guys watched a bit of training and those who have will see that it's like he hasn't been away. That is what I always say: at the end of these playoff games, you need your best players fit, available, and ready. Whatever happens during the season is just part of that building blocks. 'To have him back, we have 14 of the 15 players that played last week, so that is continuity. He is a Springbok and our number one 10. We have Keagan who's played really well for us on the bench. It is a good position to be in.' YOUR team to face the Hollywoodbets Sharks tomorrow at Loftus in our VURC Semi-Final 🔥🔥🔥 GRAB YOUR TICKETS NOW 🏆 🎟️TICKETS ➡️ 🐂Vodacom Bulls vs Hollywoodbets Sharks 🗓️7 June | ⏰ 18:15 | LOFTUS @Vodacom #URC | @URCOfficial_RSA #ForeverBlue — Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) June 6, 2025 White put a question mark behind the omission of Eben Etzebeth from the Sharks' announced squad. He added that they will worry about the team when they get to Loftus on Saturday. Etzebeth was not included in the Sharks' match-day squad with Siya Kolisi taking over as captain in his absence. According to White, they are preparing as if the Durbanites will bring their best team to Pretoria. 'This is probably one of the best Sharks teams on paper. It reminds of Pieter Muller, Henry Honiball, Jeremy Thompson, Kabous van der Westhuizen, and André Joubert. They were all Springboks. 'There are not many players in that team who are not Springboks. In fact, 15 of the 54 players (in the Bok squad for the mid-year Tests) are from the Sharks. So, it is not a bad team to have. 'They have played well in big games, whether it is the Challenge Cup final or whenever they had a big game, they played well. In Springbok games too, so it won't be easy. We don't think for one moment that it will be. They've beaten us twice this year and there is a reason for that.' 🔥 This iconic derby have given us some absolute stunners 🔥 This Saturday, they're back to battle for a place in the Grand Final 🏆 Grab your spot and get ready for more magic 🎟️👉 #URC | #BULvSHA — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 6, 2025 White says they expect it to be as tough as it can be, and they will have to play as well as they can to get the desired outcome. He added that he told his players it would be like (Bok) trials for them on Saturday, but he doesn't want them to play like it is trials. White wants a team effort from his side. 'They know this is an opportunity in front of the selectors and the public for them to stake a claim. Our job is to tell them it is not about the individual. I told them in the changeroom they have been picked (for the Boks) for what they've been doing for the last 18 weeks.
