Bulls forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels is hoping to right the ship with his teammates in their Champions Cup clash in France this weekend.
The Pretoria franchise is currently in the midst of a four-match losing streak spanning across the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup. The Bulls are currently fifth in Pool 3 of the Champions Cup without a win. A third defeat would likely end their campaign altogether without even reaching the Round of 16.
Standing in their way on Saturday is French outfit, Castres.
“Ending the losing streak is massive to us,” Wessels told rugby365.com.
“We have not had great results in recent games, and we want to change that and get some momentum going into the season. We always go into the match, wanting to win it. I don’t think there is another goal for us.
“It will be a big statement to make if we can win this game, and turn things around in the Champions Cup for us.
“We are not in the competition just to participate. We want to beat the top French and English clubs.
“It is a massive competition: the best club competition in the world. We are pushing hard, and have not sent a B side. We want to win games.”
Looking ahead to Castres, Wessels is under no illusions as to the challenge they face. Their hosts earned a surprise win over Irish giants Munster in December to boost their Round of 16 qualification chances.
“They have beaten some big sides at home and won one of their two of their Champions Cup matches so far,” confirmed the Bok hooker.
“We are up against a proper side. Good competition and we know they are good at home, so we are going to face a big battle on Saturday.
“We have some players who have played in France and know the grounds. French sides are always strong at home, and we know that it will be 12,000 fans shouting against us. It is no place to mess around. We have to be on top of our game.”
“They’ve got a good kicking game, big forwards, and we want to really get tested and get the measurements right that we’re setting for ourselves.
“They’ve got a big pack, and scrums and maul-wise we’ve got to stand up and pride ourselves on a good outcome in both those areas as well.”
