The Bulls gameplan needs re-examining

For two weeks now the Bulls have known that there are some serious flaws in their game but they will be desperate to put contingency plans in place ahead of their top of the table clash against the Waratahs on Saturday.

After two consecutive defeats, the Bulls have finally come to realise that they have been beaten at their own game by the Highlanders and Crusaders, respectively, and that they need to revert back to what has worked for them in the first five weeks of the competition.

The Bulls had mastered the art of retaining and stealing possession at the breakdown, been persistent with their kicking game, had their defence as the cornerstone to their gameplan and were improving week by week on their execution and taking advantage of the opportunities they had created.

The problem in the past two weeks has been the fact that the Highlanders and Crusaders used a carbon copy of the Bulls blueprint to success in the Super 14 to subdue the city side.

Now the men in blue will have to revert to their original gameplan and play to it accordingly if they intend on winning their remaining two games on this five match tour.

The Bulls camp seemingly understand the magnitude of the matches against the Waratahs and Brumbies as winning them will put them well on course to securing that all important home semi-final berth.

Their remaining matches upon arrival home will all be played at Loftus Versfeld with the exception of the last round-robin match against the Sharks which will be in Durban.

"In the last two games there were some things that we didn't execute well and that has been the main reason for our losses.

"Had we executed things correctly against the Crusaders we would be talking differently of our performance.

"We need to do it against the Waratahs this coming weekend, we need a big game," said Bulls backline coach and former Springbok wing Pieter Rossouw on Monday from the team's base on the Australian Gold Coast.

While the Bulls will know that sticking to their gameplan as if life itself depended on it will ensure them victory in Sydney, there remain some question marks about the Bulls management's decision to wait until the last moment to see whether fullback Zane Kirchner will regain fitness for the Waratahs clash.

However, Rossouw has extinguished any fears that the Bulls would be weak at the back if Kirchner were not to be fit as Bryan Habana will be the go-to-man at fullback instead of flying in Tiger Mangweni.

"There is no concern, not at all. Bryan played fullback and did well after Zane left the field. Bryan played for a long time and there were some good things to come out of that as he also created some opportunities for us.

"If Bryan wasn't ready then Tiger would have to come over," said Rossouw on Monday.

Besides Kirchner's injury the only other casualty reported from the Bulls camp is the ankle injury to Gurthro Steenkamp but the Bulls medical staff are confident that the Springbok prop will be ready for Saturday's game.

It may be somewhat comforting to many Bulls fans that their team know where they have to improve and how they can get their tour back on track.

But then again there is no guarantee that the bad habits of the last two weeks won't pop up again as they face a worthy adversary in the Waratahs at what has become a fortress in Sydney.