Captain Marcell Coetzee says the Vodacom Bulls have no margin for error in their playoff push ahead of Friday night’s clash against the Dragons in Newport.
Despite sitting 15th on the Vodacom URC log, Coetzee insists the Welsh club remains dangerous – especially after reaching the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-finals.
“If you look at all their URC games so far, they were always in the game, and then it was just moments where it got away from them,” he said. “They will take a lot of confidence from reaching the next stage of the Challenge Cup.
“It makes it difficult because you don’t really know what team you will be getting on the day. That is why it’s important that we just focus on our plans that we want to implement.
“We spotted a few things we can possibly exploit but it’s not going to be easy and it’s important that our mindset is right for Dragons.”
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The eighth-placed Bulls know victory is non-negotiable as they fight to reach the quarter-finals and qualify for next season’s Investec Champions Cup.
“We’ve put ourselves in this position and only we can get ourselves out of it,” Coetzee said. “There’s pressure, but we’ve accepted that. Every game is precious now.”
Meanwhile, Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard stressed the importance of accuracy and sticking to their identity.
“If we’re not accurate in what we do and we don’t implement our plan, our physicality and our set-piece dominance, then it can be a tough day at the office.
“[The Ospreys] are going to have their moments,” he added. “They’re not a bad team at all. You could see that in the Challenge Cup. They’re really competitive at home so it’s not easy.
“It’s about us just putting them under as much pressure as we possibly can.”
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The Bulls face the Scarlets in Llanelli next Saturday, before finishing the regular season with two home matches against Italian opposition, Zebre and Benetton.
“You can’t look too far ahead,” Coetzee said. “Any mistake can be costly, and we can’t afford that now.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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