The Vodacom Bulls arrive in Italy today with a squad that looks stronger on paper, greater expectations on their shoulders and a coach determined to ensure neither becomes a distraction.
Their Vodacom URC campaign begins on Saturday against Zebre in Parma (6.30pm), where Johan Ackermann knows the side will encounter a team with its own ambitions, a new-season energy and the added motivation of performing in front of a home crowd.
For all the talk around the Vodacom Bulls’ depth and the quality of their squad, Ackermann’s message has been unequivocal: there will be no easy start.
“Zebre will be excited to start well at home and in front of the home crowd,” Ackermann said. “It’s a new season for them.”
It is also a new season for the Vodacom Bulls, but one that has arrived with a slightly awkward preparation.
International commitments have eaten into their pre-season, while opportunities for warm-up matches have been limited. That means Ackermann and his coaching staff have had less time than they would have liked to establish combinations and properly gauge where the squad stands.
“It’s always a difficult one, week one, two, because you never know where you are, what areas are good and what areas are not so good,” he said.
That uncertainty, however, has also created opportunity.
With players unavailable through international duty or injury, Ackermann has been forced to look beyond his established combinations, and rather than viewing that as a problem, he sees it as an early opportunity to expand the Vodacom Bulls’ options.
“Rugby is about opportunities,” he said. “Hopefully those players will show that they can play at this level, and we’re excited about the team and the players getting the opportunity.”
The recent warm-up victory over the Stormers provided exactly that kind of testing ground.
Stravino Jacobs was given an opportunity at inside centre, Ruben Groenewald and Juann Else played at flyhalf and hooker respectfully, while new signing Thaakir Abrahams had his first meaningful outing on the wing.
The result mattered less than the rugby time and the chance to bring the squad together.
“It was just a good hit-out from a rugby perspective, but we also used that week to get closer as a team,” Ackermann said.
And that may prove to be one of the defining characteristics of this Bulls squad.
The Vodacom Bulls have added Abrahams, Curwin Bosch, Hanro Liebenberg, Dylan Maart, Sango Xamlashe and Hakeem Kunene to a squad that already contains 15 Springboks.
It has created a level of competition for places that Ackermann believes can become one of the team’s biggest assets over a long VURC campaign.
“Those guys are bringing that depth in a lot of positions, and there’s going to be quite fierce competition for the jersey,” he said.
That competition is not simply about keeping players hungry. It gives the Vodacom Bulls something every team chasing a long run in the VURC needs: the ability to manage a squad without weakening it.
“If you’ve got the quality in the position, it allows you to rotate and keep the team strong,” Ackermann said.
There is also a lesson from last season that the Vodacom Bulls will be keen not to repeat.
Their campaign took time to gather momentum, before the intensity increased dramatically during an away trip to Munster in Limerick. This time, they would like to find their rhythm considerably earlier.
But Ackermann is not advocating panic or desperation if the opening rounds do not go exactly to plan.
“What the squad has learned over the years is not to panic if things don’t go your way,” he said.
Ideally, he wants the Vodacom Bulls “starting well and keeping ourselves in the hunt from the start”.
The immediate priority, however, is simpler: Zebre.
The Vodacom Bulls may have several Springboks. They may have strengthened their depth. They may have recruited players capable of adding another dimension to the squad.
None of that matters in Parma if they fail to match the hunger of the team waiting for them.
“The last thing we can do is underestimate how tough they’re going to be there,” Ackermann said.
That is the warning ringing in the Vodacom Bulls’ ears as they begin another VURC campaign.
Now comes the part that matters most: turning all that potential into a performance.
