THE Glasgow Warriors’ maul is so good that their hooker Johnny Matthews was the leading try-scorer in the league stage of the URC this season.
So, just how can the Bulls stop the Scottish club’s drive in Saturday’s final at Loftus Versfeld (6pm kick-off)? Perhaps by throwing their locks into the air to contest the opposition throw-ins.
In the two Ruans, Vermaak and Nortjé, the Bulls have two of the better jumpers in South African rugby who have made a number of steals in the line-outs.
They have some seriously tall timber in the loose trio as well in the shape of Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom, who are both agile enough to disrupt the much-coveted ‘tail’ ball in the set-piece.
But considering that Glasgow also have some serious jumpers in the shape of Scott Cummings, Richie Gray and Matt Fagerson, the Pretoria side will have to front up to the opposition pack’s rumble at times.
That is why the biggest challenge for Jake White’s team this weekend is to be refreshed, and get up physically and mentally after a titanic 25-20 semi-final win over Leinster last weekend.
“Last week was wonderful for us. But now it’s all mental. We are not changing the way we prepare, but mentally, it is the biggest challenge to make sure we are up for the game on Saturday,” No 4 lock Vermaak said this week.
“We must make sure that the outside stuff doesn’t get into your head – there is going to be a lot of stuff in the media, this and that – but we will make sure we are focused and ready for Saturday.
“The job is not done. Everyone realises that, and we don’t want to get caught up in that whole mindset of, ‘We’ve beaten Leinster (and are champions already)’. We came (on Monday) and shifted our focus to Saturday.
“It’s going to be massive – we are looking at a sold-out stadium. But that actually fuels everyone on the field to perform better. It’s going to be exciting.
“The big thing for us is to not make the occasion bigger than it is. We know we have to focus on the job, and not let the outside stuff influence our game.”
Vermaak mentioned that Glasgow are “number one in the mauling stats”, and how the visitors are well capable of fighting until the last minute – as they showed in the 40-34 defeat at Loftus on May 11.
The Bulls can’t afford to switch off in the last quarter, and Vermaak will need to get stuck in as the enforcer from the start as well.
“I used to like playing in a loose style, like at seven and eight, but the biggest adjustment was to be more direct and physical (at four lock),” the 26-year-old former Lions forward said.
“I won’t say I needed lessons to be ‘rof en onbeskof’ (rough and tough), but you can definitely take some advice from the previous locks, like Bakkies (Botha), and try to implement that in my game.
“I’m so thankful to be in this position, and I love playing lock. For me, it is about being consistent week in and week out. That was one of my goals this season, and to be able to play in a final this week, it is such a confidence boost.
“If you look back at the Munster-Glasgow game, they definitely want to out-physicality the teams they play against, so that’s one factor we must make sure we’re up for.
“They’re a good running side as well, with good backs and special plays, so we must make sure that they don’t catch us sleeping.
“Our mindset definitely changed a bit over the last couple of weeks to make sure we don’t fall asleep after 60 minutes.
“The altitude can help us, but Glasgow are a quality side and beat Munster away, so we can’t bargain on that. It definitely helps if you have 55 000 people rooting for you, and we are glad we can play at Loftus.
“We had leads against Benetton and Glasgow, and were complacent in the last 20 minutes. We have worked hard on that over the last few weeks, and will make sure we don’t get caught in that trap again.
“It was definitely not a fitness thing, just mental. We must be mentally prepared to play the full 80 minutes.”