Nizaam Carr said the Vodacom Bulls are ready for a physical and tactical clash against the Northampton Saints on Saturday, despite their challenges this week.
The Bulls will face Northampton in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup at Franklin’s Gardens, but Jake White’s charges were scheduled to arrive in England on Thursday after leaving the Republic in eight different groups on Tuesday evening.
White fired shots at SA Rugby over the problematic travel logistics following last week’s mauling of Lyon at Loftus Versfeld, as the Pretoria outfit look to book a place in the last four of the European cup competition for the first time.
The Bulls trained in inclement conditions before departing the South African capital, and speaking to the media this week, Carr addressed the team’s obstacles while sharing the mindset in the camp.
“We had a good training session here in the wet and I said to the guys that they should expect weather like this, where it’s windy and you can’t get out of your half,” the veteran loose forward told reporters.
“And with the boys like Akker [van der Merwe] and Wilco [Louw] who have played up north, they’re all sharing their experiences. I’d love to see tries scored like last week where we ran from our own dead-ball line … but we’re going to have to be a little bit tighter.
“We’ve got plans up our sleeves preparing for both types of games; we’re always adding another string to the bow.”
MORE: SA Rugby hit back at Bulls’ travel complaints
“A week ago we came back from two long flights and a little bit of a layover but the funny thing is, we’re quite used to it and anything less than two flights is a bonus for us,” Carr added.
“It’s a difficult thing and it’s something I can’t say much about; we just want to be the humble boys and do our job. Maybe we could travel better but it’s really out of our control and we just want to take the humble route.
“It’s horrible inside but you can’t show it in a team sport or team environment and you don’t want to give off the wrong energy. I still feel grateful to be a part of a travel squad and it’s special.”
Carr made almost 80 appearances for defunct English club Wasps between 2017 and 2022, and has cautioned the Bulls of underestimating seasoned Saints campaigners like Test centurion Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlum.
“[Northampton] are coming off a few good wins now… And last week against Munster, their variations on attack, their defence, scoring points off turnover ball, that’s something we’re going to have to watch out for,” he said.
“I played a number of times against Saints and they were always tough, home and away… they want to keep the ball alive and play to the edges [of the field].
“I remember Courtney tackling me on my hip flexors [once] and I couldn’t run after that and I had to go off! What a legend, and so is Ludlum who’s played quite a few matches for England.”
Photo: Roberto Bregani/Gallo Images
The post ‘Humble’ Bulls to man up after travel hiccups appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
