Prop Gerhard Steenekamp says a “proud” Vodacom Bulls pack cannot rest on their laurels at scrum time and must dominate the Sharks when the teams clash on Saturday.

Speaking in the buildup to the blockbuster Vodacom URC derby, the 11-Test Springbok loosehead knows the Bulls’ set-piece dominance against the Stormers last week means nothing when they face John Plumtree’s men at Loftus Versfeld.

“If you think you’re indomitable, you’re going to get beaten, especially in the scrums,” he told reporters. “We put in a good performance last week, but there’s always room to improve.”

The Bulls boast one of the best, if not the best, scrums in the URC this season, but the Sharks travel to Pretoria with an all-Bok front row of Trevor Nyakane, Bongi Mbonambi and Ntuthuko Mchunu. Injuries have ruled out World Cup winners Ox Nche and Vincent Koch, but Steenekamp isn’t underestimating their pack.

“We’ve done our homework, but scrumming is technical. You can dominate one week but if you’re off the next, you’ll be on the back foot,” he said. “We are working hard on our scrum and we are starting to reap the rewards. We are very proud of our scrum.

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“Every scrum is a new fight. We’ll only see on Saturday who has the best plan.”

The Bulls lost 20-17 to the Sharks in December, failing to capitalise on their first-half ascendancy. “They took their chances better, and we weren’t good enough after half time,” Steenekamp added. “There’s no use talking about what could have been — we have a chance to correct it now.”

The Bulls have played only twice at Loftus in the competition this season, and Steenekamp relishes the return: “It’s always better to play at Loftus in front of our fans. It’s a special place for the Bulls.”

Third on the overall log, the Bulls trail Glasgow Warriors by two points with a game in hand. A five-point win over the Sharks would take them to the top of the SA Shield and strengthen their home playoff hopes.

“There are no big or small games,” Steenekamp said. “But for us, the main thing is to get five points out of this game. As a team, we want to beat their team, regardless of who they field or who we field.”

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