According to Blue Bulls captain Trevor Nyakane Loftus Versveld has lost its fear factor and he wants his team to make the ground a fortress again.
The Bule Bulls are yet to win at home this season.
The downfall of South Africa's most successful franchise in the Super Rugby has left the renowned stadium a shadow of what it once was. Trevor Nyakane who played against the Blue Bulls while at the Cheetahs, alluded to the shift of atmosphere in the ground when speaking to the media.
"In reality, when I was at the Cheetahs, you feared coming to Loftus, it was a very tough place to come play. We need to try and bring that back, I feel like teams feel they stand a chance when they come here. We need to rectify that and bring back the fear factor. Teams need to know that coming here will not be a walk in the park," said Nyakane.
The Blue Bulls skipper pointed out how away sides play with less pressure when visiting, allowing them to flourish compared to the home team, who are under a lot pressure given the expectation to do well at home.
"Every time you play a team at their place there is more pressure on them, they have to win. When teams travel to different venues they want to express themselves, they have nothing to lose and most people do not expect them to win. With that, you get switched on and just want to play rugby, enjoy and have fun. Teams are most dangerous when they are on the field with no pressure and just want to have fun,"added the Springbok.
The Highlanders will be the latest team to visit Loftus Versveld on Saturday, they will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Blues and Jaguares by getting away wins. Nyakane feels his team is prepared for the challenge that will be brought by the New Zealanders.
"We know they are quick, they enjoy flanking teams, we know what they will bring to Loftus. With that being said, we know what to do to counter that and make it a little bit more difficult for them," concluded Nyakane.
No comments:
Post a Comment