A sigh of relief: Johan Ackerman hails Bulls' character after breaking losing streak

A crisis was brewing at the Bulls. They were on a seven-match losing streak that looked sure to be extended to eight when they were 24-12 down to the French side with 23 minutes remaining. But the men from Pretoria dug deep, scored two converted tries and defended valiantly on their line to break their unwanted streak.

What's more is that the victory resurrected their Champions Cup hopes as they have very likely booked themselves a place in the playoffs by finishing fourth in Group 4. Only a bonus point win by the lowly Scarlets over Northampton Saints on Sunday can stop their qualification.

After the match, Ackermann hailed the immense character shown in the comeback victory in difficult conditions.  

"That is the character of the team - it's not about who I am, but about serving the team," he said.

That's what I'm seeing. We are building who we want to be, not just on the field but off it as well."

But it's not all sunshine and kittens. The Bulls' results have not been acceptable this season and there is plenty for the group to work on as they shift their focus to United Rugby Championship duties in the coming weeks.

"We sometimes put ourselves under pressure through errors or discipline," reflected Ackermann.

"There are periods where we do good things, and then we concede a turnover, a bad pass, or a penalty. They kick it into the corner and pin us down.

"So we have to fix those areas, but without the character, we probably wouldn't have hung in there and given ourselves a chance at the end. That's the part I've been proud of.

"In other games, things weren't 100 percent and we couldn't get back, but it was never a lack of character."

The Bulls travel to Edinburgh next for URC duty, after which they return to the Republic for a string of home matches at Loftus Versveld. 

READ MORE: John Dobson pleased with win against 'really good' Leicester side