‘It's obviously Bulls tradition': Akker targets pack dominance in URC final
It was their scrum turnover that secured a late penalty-kick victory for the Bulls against Leinster in their match at Loftus.
The Bulls will rely on their powerful forwards and especially their scrum in the URC final against Leinster. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The Bulls have been dominant in scrums and mauls against just about all opposition this season and hope for more of the same in their United Rugby Championship final against Leinster in Dublin on Saturday (kick-off 6pm).
After all, it was their scrum turnover that saw them snatch a late penalty-kick win against the same opposition in their regular season match at Loftus in March. That victory ended the Irish team's 12-game winning streak in the URC.
It also turned out to be one of only two defeats out of 18 matches for Leinster in the regular season.
OPINION: Could the Bulls finally be clicking following their Leinster heroics?
'We pride ourselves on our set-piece'
The Bulls have won a whopping 47 scrum penalties on their own feed (the most in the competition). They have also won the most against the feed (15).
The 62 scrum penalties is a URC record, and they have only conceded 20. The Bulls have had a scrum success rate of 94.7% (third).
'It's obviously Bulls tradition to be forward-dominant. We pride ourselves on our set-piece,' said hooker Akker van der Merwe, who has played in all 20 URC matches for the Bulls this season.
Although he started that league-phase game against Leinster, he has mostly come on from the bench to maintain that forward dominance.
'Obviously [our scrums] are never perfect. There were a few this week [against the Sharks] that we are not proud of. So it just needs to be better. In the final, there can't be any soft moments.'
Bulls bench could again hurt Leinster
Van der Merwe said the Bulls bench would again be called on to ensure a complete performance against the Irish giants.
'It's not a 15-man game anymore. It's a 23-man effort. So everyone just needs to stay calm and in control. It doesn't help if the bench comes on and we are erratic and off script.'
He added the Bulls do not have egos in their team, which is different from previous seasons that saw them fall short in the URC final twice (2022 and 2024).
'Everyone always talks about brotherhood and that bond and I think we have it here. I took us a while to get here but the team as a whole is at a very good point.'
He added the Bulls will not focus on the referee or things out of their control.
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