With their Champions Cup campaign done, the Bulls need maximum points from their final four URC fixtures to secure a playoff spot — and Johan Ackermann is making sure nobody in his squad takes Friday's trip to Newport lightly. He points to the Dragons' recent form (pushing the Stormers and Lions before beating Stade Français to reach the Challenge Cup quarters) as evidence that log position doesn't tell the full story, flagging their breakdown work, maul-stopping and kicking game as specific threats.
The home loss to the Stormers has effectively killed off any realistic shot at a top-four finish, leaving the Bulls reliant on four consecutive bonus-point wins just to guarantee playoff rugby. Ackermann is clear-eyed about the sequence — Dragons, Scarlets away, then Zebre and Benetton at Loftus — but insists the priority is winning first, chasing bonus points second. Discipline is the key fix; he traces the Glasgow defeat directly to soft offside penalties that handed territory away and let the Scots capitalise.