Bulls coach Johan Ackerman expressed satisfaction with the results of the game against Zebre, which ended 47:13 in Parma, but he emphasized that the team cannot become complacent.
Ackerman is aware that next week the Bulls will face a much tougher challenge against Munster in Limerick. Despite the Bulls fielding a weakened forward line due to the absence of several Springboks players, the victory was a positive start to their campaign.
The coach highly praised the performance of Kevin Bosch, who replaced Hendre Pollard at the flyhalf position and delivered a promising debut for the Bulls. Ackerman noted: 'It was his first game for the Bulls, and he controlled the game well.' He added that Bosch 'kicked very well and scored all his tries. He missed a couple of weeks due to an injury sustained against the All Blacks.'
Ackerman believes that starting the first match under pressure is a good foundation for the team's further development. He expressed hope that the situation will improve as the season progresses.
The coach acknowledged some nervousness before the game, especially after the Bulls' poor start last season when they lost to Ulster 28:7 in the opening match. He explained this by saying, 'The most important thing is that we were able to win. Last year is still in memory, so we were always nervous.'
Furthermore, Ackerman mentioned that the team has not played many friendly matches, and believing the players only played about 40 minutes in Parma, he admitted they felt some anxiety about potentially not meeting their expectations.
Zebre started aggressively, forcing the Bulls to show patience and resilience before the team could take control of the match. Ackerman called this a positive point, noting that 'against a strong opponent, in a difficult place after traveling, the guys showed a lot of fight in defense.' He also commented on the quality of the set-piece work: 'I think our outlaws were good. We won almost all our outlaws, except one in the corner.'
The coach was also pleased with the work of his 'tight five,' but pointed out the need to improve scrummaging. Ackerman stated: 'The tight five put in a lot of effort, but our scrummaging can be better.' He stressed that this is an important area for work because 'it won't always be a luxury to have a score like today, so this is something we can really improve.'
