Stedman Gans says the Vodacom Bulls must stick together to recapture their form against Stade Francais in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld.
The Bulls, on the back of four consecutive defeats across all competitions, are aiming to secure a spot in the Challenge Cup with a convincing victory this week. For Gans, the team’s approach to turning their fortunes around needs to be collective and positive.
“The message around the players at this stage is how do we become part of the solution,” the Bulls centre told reporters. “We’ve had a couple of losses now and it’s very easy to become negative as a playing group.”
“From a players’ perspective, I would say the most important lesson that is coming to the forefront now is that we have to stick together as a group. We are fighting to be a part of the solution and to get better every day.”
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Gans identified unforced errors as a key area requiring attention: “The thing that has crept into our game over the last couple of weeks is that we have been making unforced errors a lot.
“We are keeping teams in the game and in some cases letting them get by us, so I think that is going to be a big focus point for us this weekend.”
Beyond the immediate challenge, the former Blitzboks star harbours ambitions of following his Bulls teammate Kurt-Lee Arendse into the Springbok setup.
“I think every player in South Africa wants to play for the Springboks, that’s the dream,” Gans said. “When there are guys who are so close to you and have managed to make the leap, then it shows that it’s an achievable goal.
“Whenever I spend time with him [Arendse], I try to learn from him. Those guys serve as inspiration for us.”
“When the time is right, it will happen,” he added. “My job is to keep my head down, work hard and see what the future holds.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
