The Bulls won’t get drawn into playing the blame game despite indifferent displays by some of their top players when they were beaten by Leinster in the United Rugby Championship final, coach Johan Ackermann said.
There had been high hopes the Bulls could break a frustrating trophy drought at Croke Park in Dublin last week, but they fell well short against the well-oiled Irish outfit.
“Each player must give an account for his performance. That is part of our values, that personal responsibility in delivering excellence,” Ackermann said.
“Obviously, no player goes out to make a mistake.
“Over the year, we had the benefit of stuff going our way, and on Friday they didn’t go our way. Credit to Leinster. They were very good in the air.
“The Bulls had a plan in the last three finals, and unfortunately, we didn’t get over the line. And we had a plan for Dublin, and we didn’t get over the line.
“So something, somewhere, we have to get it right.
“Trust me, every coach and I will dwell on this for quite a fair bit to see where we can do better.”
Ackermann said the Bulls would now look forward and not dwell on the past.
“You can’t change the past; you can’t dwell too much on that,” he said.
“You have to keep preparing for what you can control.
“If I’m going to keep on reminding you of all the mistakes you’ve made, you’re not going to feel right about yourself.
“We knew exactly what was coming, and we must take that responsibility as a group.
“I’m not going to blame players; that’s not who I am, because I’m part of this group. I’m the one who must take that responsibility.”
Ackermann said the Bulls had lacked momentum in the final
“If you’re going to be loose in your ball protection and you’re going to concede yellow cards against a quality attacking side, and you’re going to not get the momentum going — small things, small margins — one knew we had to be accurate, and yet we didn’t,” he said.
“You can take nothing away from Leinster. They’re a quality side, quality all over from 1 to 23, and well coached.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Leo Cullen and for Jacques Nienaber.
“They are world-class coaches and have world-class players. Leinster was so accurate in that first half. Every opportunity they got, they got the points.
“When you get a yellow card and the opposition knocks on, then you obviously take the scrum.
“And then once you take the scrum, there’s a minute gone of the yellow card, and the chances are better for us to get a penalty from the scrum.
“But then we kept on playing, and two phases later we made a mistake, and they went and scored. In hindsight, that’s the lesson. Next time, take the scrum.
“There was still a belief that if we could score two tries in the opening stages of the second half, we’d be back in it.
“But it’s always tough against such a good side if you start on the back foot and have to fight back.
“It’s not necessarily the tactics; it’s more the execution that I think we lacked in the final.”
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.