Former Bok star Schalk Brits weighs in on Bulls and Stormers' URC fortunes
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Brits, who was a key part of the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup win in Japan, believes it will be tough for the Stormers on the road over the next two weeks, while the Bulls will relish having home-ground advantage.
John Dobson’s charges currently lie fifth in the table with clashes against the Dragons (away), Connacht Rugby (away) and Lions (home) to come.
Meanwhile, the Bulls return to URC action ranked fourth and have home fixtures against table-toppers Glasgow Warriors and eighth-placed Benetton Rugby, plus a trip to Durban to face the Sharks – who are out of the race for the playoffs.
“The Stormers are making mistakes in crucial moments,” Brits said at a URC round table.
“Although they have got lots of talent, sometimes you just need experience, the cooler heads and then you make better decisions.
“For me, rugby is about compounding pressure.
“When there are more experienced players on the pitch, you tend to make better decisions with pressure.
“They have had injuries in one or two crucial positions and there have been some crucial kicks that haven’t gone over, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.
“With them playing abroad now for the next two weeks, it’s a bit harder.”
Yet Brits takes heart from the Stormers having reached the URC final for the past two seasons, lifting the trophy in 2022.
“What John Dobson has done is bring happiness to Cape Town. The players are having a good time,” he said.
“I would rather let them be average during the year and get to the final and win a trophy, than being great all year and not winning anything.”
Brits believes that the Bulls are well-placed to finish off the regular season on a high.
“They are playing Glasgow this weekend at home This is the big game. For them to lose this one would be massive,” he added.
“It’s going to be quite hot and humid at altitude in Pretoria, which makes it really hard to play the Bulls there.
“Jake White is a coach that likes momentum and he will want to build momentum going into the play-off games.
“I like where the Bulls are sitting.”