Vodacom Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo says other unions need to be “smarter” in how they approach the Currie Cup. SIMON BORCHARDT reports.

The Bulls are top of the log after a 48-23 win against Western Province in Cape Town and a record-breaking 64-0 demolition of the Sharks at Loftus.

While the Bulls and Lions have opted for a mix of youth and experience – including some URC regulars – the Sharks and WP have gone almost entirely for youth to prioritise the upcoming URC season, which kicks off on 26 September, just six days after the Currie Cup final.

Nomlomo believes it’s the ideal window for South Africa’s domestic competition in a packed 12-month rugby calendar.

“I think this is the best time for the Currie Cup because of what we face during the year,” he said. “We’ve got the EPCR [Champions Cup] and URC to service, and those are two competitions everyone is involved with.

“I don’t want to get into what other teams are doing, but I honestly think unions can be smarter with how they recruit and how they use their players. We know why we’re doing things the way we are.”

The Bulls have used the opening rounds of the Currie Cup to rotate their team and keep players fresh.

“We’re going to face a couple of challenges in the next few weeks – with the U19s, U21s, Currie Cup and URC – so it’s going to take all hands on deck,” said Nomlomo. “Right now, we’re fortunate enough to rotate and we’ll keep doing that while we can.”

Despite big back-to-back wins, Nomlomo says complacency is not a concern.

“I’m not worried about it at all. Every Monday we come in knowing exactly what we need to do. The scoreboard is just an outcome of that process. Whether it’s a two-point win or a two-point loss, if we’ve given our best shot, that’s good enough.”

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The Bulls coach expects a fierce battle at Loftus against the Pumas, who opened their campaign with a 49-28 home win over Griquas before losing 42-25 to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

“Coach [Jimmy] Stonehouse coaches hard men,” Nomlomo said. “We’ve got guys in our squad who played under him, and you can see the grit and resilience they’ve got. We’ll have to earn every carry, every tackle, every kick. It’s going to be a really good contest.”

Even if the Pumas’ forwards match the Bulls up front, Nomlomo believes his side can adapt.

“Our 9, 10 and 12 [Zak Burger, Jaco van der Walt and Chris Smit] have played a fair bit together, and you can add Stedman [Gans] at 13. [Winger] Aphiwe is relatively new to the Bulls and hasn’t been with the others guys for as long, while Stravino [Jacobs] has. So we are blessed that we are a season older now, with the same guys.

“We’re good enough to find other ways to win,” he added. “We’ll be tested differently [by the Pumas], and we may have to do things differently to what we’ve done in the last two games.”

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images