Bulls need to outsmart, not outmuscle Cheetahs
The Blue Bulls have all but acknowledged that there is nothing more they can do physically to get an edge over the Free State Cheetahs ahead of their Currie Cup final clash.
|||The Blue Bulls have all but acknowledged that there is nothing more they can do physically to get an edge over the Free State Cheetahs ahead of their Currie Cup final clash in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
However they will be looking to the power of the mind in order to reinforce the self-belief within their team that the unbeaten Cheetahs can be beaten and in the most important game of the season.
In a bizarre set of circumstances and ones that defy logic, the Bulls proved just how powerful the mind can be with news that fullback Ulrich Beyers, pictured, has made a miraculous recovery from a dislocated shoulder injury that had him ruled out of the final two days ago.
Beyers and Bulls team doctor Herman Rossouw were at a loss for words in describing how Beyers moved from being a certain spectator in Saturday’s final to being a willing and eager participant hoping to do what many believe is the impossible of the Bulls beating the Cheetahs.
But what would have helped Beyers’ recovery overnight is the fact that there was no fracture or damage to the muscles around the dislocated area and all Beyers had to do was manage the pain and swelling which had literally disappeared when the wily fullback woke up yesterday morning.
The jokes were endless at Loftus yesterday with many calling Beyers ‘Lazarus’ making comparisons with the biblical figure who miraculously rose from the dead and some just wanted to know the name of the sangoma he had consulted.
“Ja obviously on Monday when I saw the doctor the news weren’t too good.
“It wasn’t too bad either because there were no muscles torn and no fractures.
“I wanted to go for a scan but I got given cortisone and told to see how it works,” an elated Beyers said after training at Loftus Versfeld yesterday.
“Obviously this morning I woke up and I felt awesome and I felt that if I am not hundred percent I won’t drop the team and play.
“After the training session I felt that I am good to go and it works well.
“I feel that I am in a space to play and I won’t drop the boys and the shoulder has kept up.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend and some people are calling me Lazarus and some people are saying that I saw a sangoma.
“My shoulder healed well and I am super, super happy to be back on the field.”
The Bulls will be hoping for another miracle to occur today regarding lock RG Snyman who will undergo a 'ding dong' test for the concussion and head injury sustained in the semi-final against Western Province on Saturday.
Rossouw confirmed that the ‘minor procedure’ that Snyman underwent was very successful and that Snyman would be given the green light if he manages to pass the concussion protocols today.
Snyman had also been ruled out of the final in the aftermath of the Bulls semi-final win but the diagnosis of a fracture to his sinus was deemed not as serious as initially suspected.
The mind games continued to play themselves out on the main field at Loftus yesterday with the Bulls training with the traditional Cheetahs music in full cry on the stadium’s public announcement system.
“That is just coach Nollis (Marais) trying to get into our heads and just to simulate what the crowd’s going to be like this coming weekend,” said Bulls centre Burger Odendaal.
As obvious as it may be that the Bulls are doing well in mastering the power of the mind, they will have to draw on more than just the powers of Lazarus and a sangoma to ensure that they beat the Cheetahs and are crowned Currie Cup champions.
The Star