Jake White says the Vodacom Bulls have a plan to shut down Lions maestro Sanele Nohamba in the second leg of the Jukskei derby in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The nuggety Nohamba has twice proved to be a bugbear for the Bulls, scoring 24 points – including a decisive try – to lead the Lions to a rare victory at Loftus Versfeld last season.
Nohamba was at it again in this season’s first leg of the Gauteng derby in Pretoria last month, setting up a counter-attacking try, casually slotting a drop goal, while adding a penalty and two conversions to his tally.
Speaking to the media in Pretoria, White said that the Bulls have to put Nohamba into darker places in the clash at Ellis Park.
“Well, first of all, we have to force him to make tackles,” White said. “I read somewhere after the game that he didn’t make a single tackle against us. It’s not his fault, we just never ran in his direction.
“He plays good rugby and there are not many guys who can play scrumhalf and flyhalf at this level.
“We will have to put him under pressure, but you can’t single out a player and just focus on him.”
The win against the Lions before the mid-season break saw the Bulls climb into fourth place and continue their run on top of the SA Shield.
White emphasised that the next two local derbies – including the home game against the DHL Stormers – are must-wins for the Bulls.
“These are, like the showdown with the Stormers afterwards, games that we have to win.
“Saturday’s game is away against the Lions, but it’s not like we have to get used to something like altitude.
“We haven’t been able to beat Stormers in the competition and I’m constantly reminded of that. It’s time we put it right.”
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
