Impressive away wins steel resurgent Bulls for URC derby charge against Lions

The Bulls are gearing up for a fierce United Rugby Championship (URC) derby against the Lions at Ellis Park this Saturday (2.30pm kickoff), with skipper Marcell Coetzee revealing the squad’s confidence is soaring after impressive back-to-back victories in Europe.

Johan Ackerman’s resurgent side is coming off inmpressive away wins – in the Champions Cup against Pau and against Edinburgh in the URC. They will be looking for a third win on the bounce to put a horror losing steak behind them. Another positive result for the Pretoria side in the Jukskei Derby will take them above the Lions and into the play-off spots in the competition.

"I must say the two wins were a boost for the group's morale. I believe the confidence is very high and the guys are just glad to get back into that winning habit," the loose forward said in an online media briefing on Tuesday.

"Obviously it's always great to be home. We've got a tough derby waiting for us at Ellis Park, so it doesn't get any easier, but I think the main focus for the group is just to recover from the tour now and then we'll put all our energy into a quality Lions side this weekend."

The Bulls have never lost to the Lions at Ellis Park in the URC but Ivan van Rooyen's charges inflicted a bruising defeat on the Bulls at Loftus that started their slide, the last time the sides met. Coetzee was eager to downplay any talk of revenge, however.

"I think with any derby game in South Africa, both teams really get up for it. Your previous record doesn't really matter, it's which ream pitches up on the day and uses their opportunities," he said.