Johan Ackermann says the Vodacom Bulls’ 53-40 victory over the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld highlighted “small things” that need to be fixed.

The Bulls fought back from 26-12 down after 35 minutes to open their 2025-26 Vodacom URC campaign with a five-point log haul.

Yet despite six second-half tries, Ackermann was unsatisfied.

“You could see we were far from perfect. There were a lot of mistakes, with and without the ball. Our set piece was decent, but otherwise it wasn’t a great performance.”

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He stressed the need to tighten up against stronger opposition.

“Some of the tries we scored tonight were easier; other teams won’t allow that. If we don’t fix the small things, we won’t be on the right side of the result.

“Our scrums and lineouts were strong, but of course, we must use that ball better, we turned it over too easily at times.”

Ackermann also flagged the challenge of new combinations in the squad.

“We’ve got dangerous players and quality players. If we can get everyone on the same page, and then utilise players like Sebastian [de Klerk] and Cheswill [Jooste], we’ll be in a good place. But it will take time.

“It’s encouraging to get a result like that when we still have players on the injury list and guys away with the Springboks. But I’ve got a lot of faith in the group that played tonight.”

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With defending champions Leinster traveling to Loftus in the next round and a European tour ahead, Ackermann concluded: “We must be better, because the opposition will get better as the season progresses. For now, it’s important that we enjoy the moment.”

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images