Johan Ackermann laments bad luck after Bulls loss

By SABC Sport
4th January 2026

Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann believes his side was unlucky not to have beaten the Stormers, saying the result could have been different if the ball had bounced their way.

The men from Pretoria suffered an agonising defeat in Cape Town, with the Stormers scoring a try in the final minute of the game to steal a draw away from the Bulls.

Despite the close nature of the game, their form over the past few months has been poor with the loss to the Stormers being their sixth straight defeat across the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup.

The result could have gone in their favour if the usually unflappable Handre Pollard had not had an uncharacteristically poor day with boot, missing two penalties in the second half that would have had the Bulls ahead by one point even after the Stormers late try.

"It's obviously disappointing at the moment. We're all emotional and it hurts to lose like this," Ackermann said after the match.

"I feel sorry for the players because things just don't seem to want to turn for us. Even when we win a high ball, the bounce doesn't go our way.

"It feels like every little kick goes against us and you don't get the 50-50 calls [from referee Griffin Colby] either. It's a tough place to be.

"I really wanted the players to put their hands up and they did. It wasn't a fluent game. There were mistakes from both sides and it boiled down to one or two big decisions. Credit to the Stormers - they finished well.

"The wind definitely made the aerial contest difficult. The ball looks like it's going far and then suddenly drops short. It's tough for both sides. But that's not the reason we lost - that was in our hands."

Despite their losing streak, Ackermann avoided blaming his players, instead praising their will to fight for a result against strong opposition.

"For large parts of the game we were good and created opportunities. When Sebastian [de Klerk] won that ball at the end, on another day the pass sticks and we score in the corner," he added

"Those mistakes are fixable, and that's why I believe we can turn the season around.

"We're going full out with the strongest possible team for the next two games. If we lose, we're out. If we win, we're in [the playoffs] - it's simple.

"This next block is about getting everyone on the same page, building cohesion and turning our season around."