The Vodacom Bulls head into this weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture against the Emirates Lions well aware that mistakes are costly at this point in the season, and that the local Derbies in particular can expose this even further.

Following their narrow 30-28 win over the Emirates Lions at Loftus Versfeld in Round 9 of the competition, Marcell Coetzee says the Vodacom Bulls are headed to Emirates Airline Park this Saturday with a heightened focus for the return fixture.

It’s a fixture that has even more on the line than usual with the Vodacom Bulls going into this game as the leading South African team in fourth place on the log and the Emirates Lions tantalisingly close to breaking into the top eight.

“This is now that phase of the competition where some teams pull away and others lose out on the playoffs, so you can’t afford to have soft moments. The Derbies also make it extra spicy and personal and we can’t afford to slip up now, especially in these Derby games,” says Coetzee.

“The Lions showed what they can do at Loftus Versfeld. We were lucky to get away with that win and we learned a lot. It was a reminder again that in a Derby anything can happen on the day. Going to Emirates Airline Park now, the Lions will definitely be backing themselves after that last performance.”

Marco van Staden is also expecting another tough match against their provincial neighbours but says he wouldn’t have it any other way and praised the Vodacom United Rugby Championship for elevating the local Derbies throughout the competition.

“Rivalries and Derby games are massive in South Africa. I think those are the hardest games of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, but we’re looking forward to it. I think the emphasis on the Derby games has been increased in this competition and you can see it with the Irish, Welsh and Scottish teams as well. They are always good games to watch. It’s very rarely a runaway or easy game.”

In a season that holds immense promise for the Vodacom Bulls, Saturday’s game will indeed be a key milestone for this team.

“We’re very happy with the first phase of this season,” says Coetzee.

“We toured early and managed to get good results there and we also managed to blend some good talent in. But at the beginning of this season the goal was to make it right to the end and that’s what we’re striving for.”

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