Bulls must tighten defence against Glasgow, says Ackermann

Cutting out defensive errors will be crucial for the Bulls if they want to tame an in-form Glasgow Warriors side in an Investec Champions Cup last 16 clash in Scotland on Saturday, coach Johan Ackermann says.

The Bulls are fighting battles on two fronts as they bid to reach the United Rugby Championship playoffs and Champions Cup quarterfinals.

Making a fast start and achieving set piece dominance helped propel the Sharks to a crucial 21-15 win over Cardiff in difficult conditions in Durban on Friday, coach JP Pietersen said. High humidity made the ball slippery, and this resulted in unforced handling errors during a hard-fought United Rugby Championship clash at Kings Park. Two tries from Phepsi Buthelezi and one from Yaw Penxe boosted the Sharks’ hopes of a top eight URC finish. “What I’m most pleased with is how we started the game,” Pietersen said. “We started the game fast, and then obviously Cardiff, a quality side, came back to us, put us under massive pressure, and scored two quick tries. “And obviously we just felt in the coaching box that we had to swing momentum and change momentum. “We sent the new front row on just before halftime to give us that edge, and flipping hell, it came off and it worked. “It was good to go and finish 21-12 up at the break. That gave us lots of confidence going into the second half. “Where we took control of the game was in the set piece. The Sharks scrummed well and scrummed for penalties, and we obviously mauled them well. “And when we got into the 22 in the first half, we scored tries. “In the second half we couldn’t convert. “I think that’s the opposite of what we wanted, and then obviously the territory and the kicking game — we were a bit sloppy in that department, which we could have been better at. “It’s a good learning for us before we go on the road to learn, with obviously the tricky conditions overseas, with the humidity in Durban. “Nobody can see it from TV, but the ball was slippery, and it was wet. “The conditions were extremely difficult. People watching TV will probably say, ‘Why are you guys not passing or catching a ball?’ “But the ball is slippery like a bar of soap. And I think we did well to score three tries in those conditions.” Pietersen praised his team for sticking together and managing to get the job done despite the conditions. “You must give massive credit to the leadership,” he said. “In this group around Andre Esterhuizen, you can see he’s leading well as a captain. “And then you’ve got Ethan Hooker in the leadership group; you’ve got Nick Hatton who played today. “Vincent Tshituka and Emile van Heerden are huge just keeping the forwards composed. “And then we’ve got, obviously, the two hookers, Fez and Eduan Swart; they’re all so good and just keeping us controlled and composed. And Phepsi was good too.” Pietersen said injury concerns would make selection difficult in the weeks ahead. “It tests the character of the squad with injuries, and Luan Giliomee coming off was obviously unfortunate. It’s a bit of a setback, but I think he will bounce back. “But it gives the next guy an opportunity to come back into the squad, and that’s your culture in your environment and your group — how you bounce back and how you pull as a squad.” Scorers: Sharks 21: Tries: Phepsi Buthelezi (2), Yaw Penxe. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (2), Bradley Davids. Cardiff 15: Tries: Mason Grady (2). Conversion: Callum Sheedy. Penalty: Ioan Lloyd. Other URC scores: Bulls 34 Munster 31, Lions 42 Dragons 26, Stormers 33 Edinburgh 14. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Ackermann has named a powerful touring squad for a testing away clash against the URC log-leaders at the Scotstoun Stadium (6.30pm kick-off).

“If we’re in the play-offs in the Champions Cup, we must give it a go,” Ackermann said.

“The Bulls will give it our best shot against Glasgow, and then we’ll take it from there.

“Glasgow are in front of us this week, but we’ll need to be better than we were against Munster in our last outing (the Bulls won 34-31) if we hope to win in Scotland.

“Glasgow will definitely punish us if we continue to make the defensive errors of the Munster match, so they will be a massive challenge over there.

“The Warriors are probably the best attacking side in the URC, so we have a big challenge ahead of us, but we’ve got nothing to lose.

“We are going to Glasgow and will work hard to give ourselves an opportunity to win.

“If we progress, that would be great.

“We want to give the Champions Cup a good run. We can’t control what happens after that. When we return to the URC, we’ll have to play our best available team every week because qualification is so tight.

“We understand that it is a privilege to play in a Champions Cup Round of 16 match.

“The Bulls are alive in one of the best competitions in the world, so we will give it our best.”

The 33-man Bulls touring squad includes 14 Springboks and has a good blend of youth and experience.

“We left a lot of points out there against Munster,” Ackermann said.

“There were two or three big moments where we could have scored, and we didn’t.

“We had a lot of turnovers that we could have turned into really good tries or at least good field position, and we did not utilise that.

“Every team has special players who can do something out of nothing, and Embrose Papier showed that against Munster.

“When he gets space, Embrose is dangerous, and the same with Cheswil Jooste.”

A resilient never-quit attitude will drive Harlequins forward at the Ebrahim Patel Community Cup (EPCC) Easter tournament, which kicks off in George on Thursday, coach Leon Nicolaai says. Two of EP’s most successful club rugby teams, Harlequins and Kruisfontein United, are facing tough opening matches at Outeniqua Park. Gqeberha’s Harlequins have been drawn to play Blanco (kickoff 4pm), and crack Humansdorp outfit Kruisfontein United are set to collide with Robertson (5.45pm). “One of our biggest strengths will be our depth because we have a squad of about 40-plus players,” Nicolaai said. “This will play a role, and our resilience, belief and never-quit attitude. These are strengths Harlequins thrive on. When we started our campaign in 2025, we said we wanted to dominate the Grand Challenge tournament and, after that, start dominating outside the province in bigger national events,” he said. “That is Harlequins’ goal: to be better at tournaments and in the national Gold Cup at the end of the year. We need to build our platforms so Harlequins can be better at national tournaments, because part of the overall plan is to put the club back on the national stage,” Nicolaai said. “Then we can build platforms for players to move into provincial set-ups and even higher.” Apart from success at the Ebrahim Patel Community Cup tournament, Harlequins have set their sights on success in the EPRU Grand Challenge Top 12. “We want to make 2026 the year we go out and win the Top 12,” Nicolaai said. “Last year we missed out by two points in the final against Gardens in a great game. Harlequins gained experience from that final and also what happened in George in 2025,” Nicolaai said. “We will be better equipped going into both competitions in 2026, and we hope to do well. As a club we would like to win everything on offer. We have been active on the field even though we did not play in the EC Super 14 tournament. “Harlequins have good pre-season games under the belt, and we are in fine shape and form. The players are calm, and they know what is expected of them, so it has been a good build-up to George,” Nicolaai said. “We started our Grand Challenge season last week, and we had a good win, 46-10, over Hankey Villagers. On Saturday we had a team-building session, and preparations have gone well with no hiccups and major injuries. “Harlequins are all set to go,” Nicolaai said. “The win over Hankey Villagers came at the right time and was a good morale booster for the team. Straight after the Ebrahim Patel tournament we jump back into the Grand Challenge.” At the EPCC draw, EP Rugby president George Malgas pledged his full support to the tournament, which is expected to draw capacity crowds. He called on SA Rugby to actively support initiatives such as the Patel event and said more should be done nationally to preserve and elevate Patel’s legacy within the broader rugby framework. Tournament director Romano Lekay said: “The EPCC has evolved beyond a tournament. “It is unlocking meaningful investment into community rugby through measurable audience growth, broadcast exposure and credible delivery. Sponsors are seeing real return, clubs are benefiting from increased visibility and communities are starting to feel the impact,” Lekay said. “The EPCC started with only two teams and a simple vision — to create a platform for community rugby excellence and to give honour where honour is due." Thursday’s opening fixtures: 4pm: Harlequins v Blanco 5.35pm: Robertson v Kruisfontein 7.40pm: Safcol v Heidelberg 9.15pm: Botrivier v Bridgton. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee said it had been the team’s goal to target success in both the URC and Champions Cup from the start of the season.

“In one of the first meetings with coach Ackermann, he said he wants to challenge in both competitions, and we were not going to lean towards one or the other,” he said.

“We jumped on board and are looking forward to this task awaiting us. At this stage of the season, you want to maintain that winning momentum and build on those two victories at Loftus Versfeld, and hopefully that will help with the confidence going into this one.

“But as a team, we create opportunities and then we don’t finish them.

“We now have the opportunity to progress to the next round of the Champions Cup.

In an immediate response to Border Ladies not winning a single game in the recently concluded Women’s Super League, the Border Rugby Union has changed its women’s club structure to help strengthen the senior team. The games tally for the new season that starts in May has been extended to finish closer to the end of the year. This decision is to make sure the union builds depth for the senior women’s team and existing players get proper minutes before the Women’s Super League starts in 2027. Upon review of the lucklustre season, lack of game time before the national competition started is what hamstrung the Border Ladies, the BRU executive member in charge of women-related matters, Siphokazi Njani, said on Tuesday. She acknowledged that the season was a far cry from what the union had hoped for. “We have sent communications to the 10 clubs in the league notifying them of the changes we have made and some we intend to make,” Njani said. Border had to use U20 players to make up their full squad. The lack of experience was on occasion exposed by big teams in the Super League, especially in the second halves of games. Though the players underwent a baptism of fire, Njani said it was a good lesson in getting the feel of professional rugby. “The U20 players will be better next year. They will be experienced in some part of their games. “It was our plan to not get players from our province but to use our own so we can build depth,” she said. Finding a new coaching team is top of the agenda. In the penultimate stages of the season, the team was without a permanent coach after Bongani Nogilana stepped down. “We will have to find someone to fill the position as soon as we can so the coach can start identifying potential players who are needed in certain positions. “We chose Nogilana because he was part of our youth team coaching structures and had been with the senior team for the past two years. “We wanted continuity, but it wasn’t to be,” she said. Njani said they were disappointed with how Nogilana had resigned. It is believed he quit during their game against the Golden Lions, just before the union’s last three games against the Sharks, EP Queens and Free State. “It was a huge blow because the players started panicking and there was so much uncertainty around,” Njani said. Speaking to the Dispatch after leaving the position, Nogilana complained the environment was not conducive and promised the publication an interview. Njani said that in the resignation letter Nogilana handed to BRU general manager Mthunzi Hewu, he mentioned the same issue but with no details. “I’m someone who likes to learn from my mistakes, but he never explained fully what happened,” she said. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

“We are fighting in the URC, but we view every game as an opportunity to give our best to progress to the next level. The drive is to be part of this competition and give our best.

“The message to the boys is simple. This is an opportunity to grab, and we must make the best of it.”

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