Bulls' Nizaam Carr scores a try during the European Champions Cup pool A rugby union match between Bulls and Lyon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria Bulls loose forward Nizaam Carr said his side will be looking to avoid any hint of complacency against their Italian foes Benetton in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final this weekend. Picture: Phill Magakoe/AFP
While the Bulls will be the heavy favourites for their United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Benetton at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, loose forward Nizaam Carr said his side will be looking to avoid any hint of complacency against their Italian foes.
Their previous meeting ended in a 56-35 Bulls win a few weeks ago in Pretoria, but Benetton still showed they can produce probing attacking rugby in that defeat.
“That is also coming from the mindset in their national team. Even when they are under pressure – and I’ve spoken to a lot of guys that I played with in England – they just never die. They have a never-say-die attitude,” Carr said.
The Bulls ended the group stage of the competition second on the log, but scored the most points of the 16 teams.
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Bennetton, meanwhile, finished seventh on the table and were way down in 12th for points scored.
That doesn’t mean Bennetton will be any less of a threat though, according to Carr.
“They are going to keep coming, no matter what the scoreboard says. We were leading by far, and they still managed to score tries. If we become complacent, things can go the other way,” said Carr.
“They’ve been doing well – maybe not consistently getting those wins, but they are definitely a side that have improved a lot, in terms of Italy rugby.
“They are a side that you have to respect. You have to pitch up otherwise it’s going to be a really long day, if you don’t cover all your bases.
“A lot of people – even some of my family – are saying, ‘Ag, Benetton aren’t something to worry about’, but that’s not the case in the way we’re training, in our preparation.”