Bulls must push boundaries against Sharks says Nizaam Carr

Last week’s round-robin defeat to the Sharks would have hurt the Blue Bulls, despite not making a difference in where they finished on the Currie Cup log.

But loose forward Nizaam Carr feels that the loss can actually push the Pretoria side to a higher level in Saturday’s semi-final against the Durban outfit at Loftus Versfeld (5pm start).

The Bulls went down 24-18 in what Carr described as “really terrible” conditions at Kings Park last Sunday, but it didn’t affect their second place in the standings after the Lions thrashed the Griffons 62-5 last Friday to secure top spot already.

Director of rugby Jake White allowed the full United Rugby Championship group to feature in their first hit-out of their pre-season, and they may get another outing in Saturday’s semi-final and should be much sharper as a result.

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“Mentally as a group we are never fine with losing. We wanted to get over that hurdle mentally, and it’s something to look forward to and something to fight for,” Carr said.

“I would think that they are in a good position, coming off that win. We want to chase that, and it’s not fine to lose – but it’s also not a bad thing going into a semi-final, for motivation and to get the guys up for it.

“We will look back at that Sunday game, and it’s a good platform to work on this week.

“Marcell Coetzee (who captained the team last week) mentioned that it’s one group, and it’s not we got them here and now we must give way for the URC boys.

“Whether you played in the first or last game, everybody has a contribution to make. If I get an opportunity to play this weekend, they would support me and vice versa.”

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Carr came on for the final quarter at No.8 in place of Cameron Hanekom in Durban, but is relishing the opportunity to attack with ball in hand in dry conditions, with temperatures of over 30 degrees forecast for Pretoria on Saturday.

And considering the fact that the Sharks boast a number of Springbok contenders themselves in Phepsi Buthelezi and Tshituka brothers Vincent and Emmanuel, Carr hopes to put his name back into the Test conversation.

“The weather was really terrible. For me personally, when the ball is wet, you can’t play the game you want, that I want to play,” said the 33-year-old from Cape Town, who earned five Bok caps between 2014 and 2016.

“We are hoping for good weather, where we can mix it up with our physicality and set pieces, but also run the ball. We’ve made some really good strides in terms of that in the Currie Cup, and here at Loftus, we’ve scored a high number of tries.

“Because it’s semis or finals, I don’t think we should shy away from what got us to this point and play a conservative approach. We still want to push the boundaries and outrun them, if I can put it like that. We are looking at that and trying to speed it up, but we also need to have control over the game in terms of the breakdown, set pieces and kicking game.

“I always say if you are not dreaming of becoming a Springbok – whether you are 40 or 25 – then you should quit playing.

“The nice thing about the Bulls is that yes, everybody has aspirations, but if we work as a group then the higher honours will come through the collective effort.

“For me personally, I will never stop dreaming of getting there again – Deon Fourie has done it in the past. We definitely want to be there, considering how well the Boks are also doing.

“If you look at that (beating the All Blacks), it’s really inspiring. Even watching Siya’s interviews post-match, the victories and stuff like that ...

“I’m sure every player would love to be there, and it’s nice to see that they are leading the nation so well in international rugby.”