Ackermann is framing Saturday's clash at Loftus against the All Blacks as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, even with the Bulls operating in pre-season mode and a squad thinned by Bok call-ups. His focus isn't on the result — it's on whether the new systems and game-plan additions he's been working on can hold up against world-class opposition. He's candid that the Bulls are underdone, noting their Currie Cup final run last season cost them preparation time, and he's wary of peaking too early ahead of the URC. On the All Blacks themselves, Ackermann isn't reading too much into their Stormers performance, expecting them to sharpen considerably with a Test match looming the following week. The full piece gives his take on managing expectations while still backing his side to show something meaningful.
Ackermann eyes All Black test as a proving ground despite pre-season constraints
Ackermann sees Saturday's All Blacks clash at Loftus as a real-time test of the Bulls' pre-season work, acknowledging they're underprepared but backing them to 'embrace the occasion' and show early signs of their new game-plan direction.
- Jake White
- Vodacom Bulls
- Loftus Versfeld
- New Zealand
- Currie Cup
- United Rugby Championship
- DHL Stormers
White: This Bulls squad is better equipped — and they know they can't waste this chance
Jake White makes a personnel-driven case for a Bulls upset on Friday, pointing to five returning Test-calibre starters as the difference from last year's final — while urging the squad to treat this as the chance they may not get again.
Matthee 'never really been out of the team' as Stormers back him to fill Feinberg-Mngomezulu void against Leinster
Jurie Matthee starts at flyhalf for the Stormers in Saturday's URC semifinal against Leinster in Dublin after Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury. Assistant coach Rito Hlungwani says Matthee's integration into the starting side will be seamless, pointing to his consistent involvement in training and a strong record when called upon, including man-of-the-match performances against Benetton in Treviso and the Bulls away. Wing Seabelo Senatla, concussed against Cardiff, also misses the trip.
Bulls favourites, Stormers bloodied but unbowed — URC semi-final verdicts
Nel argues the Bulls are legitimate semi-final favourites given Glasgow's recent vulnerabilities and the Murrayfield venue switch, while the Stormers head to Dublin shorthanded — Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Reinach, Senatla and possibly Du Plessis all out — but with a powerful pack and nothing to lose against Leinster.
Bulls get Murrayfield boost while Stormers face uphill Dublin battle
Rich argues the Bulls' Murrayfield venue switch — off Glasgow's 4G home pitch — is a significant advantage, while the Stormers face a tougher ask in Dublin after losing Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Senatla, and Reinach to injury.
Bulls dismantle Munster 45-14: Bok depth the difference, Hanekom emerges as Kwagga cover
The Bulls' 45-14 URC quarter-final win over Munster is dissected across five takeaways — Bok depth as the decisive factor, Hanekom's emergence as Kwagga cover, and a frank assessment of Munster's structural decline and McMillan's precarious position.