Ahead of the Bulls debut game in the Champions Cup, loose forward Marco van Staden has warned his teammates to expect some tough matchups in the competitions.
The Bulls will make their first bow in the Champions Cup tomorrow when they welcome French side Lyon to Loftus Versfeld (7.10pm).
Van Staden has had a taste of the Champions Cup; he got to give it a go during his short stint at English Premiership side Leicester Tigers. He played two matches in the Champions Cup before a concussion injury halted his season and eventually saw him released early from his contract by the Premiership team.
The Bulls took a chance on Van Staden, giving him a contract amid the uncertainty of whether he’ll ever play again. The man known as "Eskom", is switched on at the moment unlike his namesake, the national power utility.
With the Bulls playing in the Champions Cup, Van Staden will get a chance to tackle the competition again and he knows it will not be easy to bring down.
“The Champions Cup is the toughest club competition in the world, I played a few games when I was at Leicester, it’s a very tough competition,” said Van Staden when speaking to the media.
“The excitement is very high in the team, it’s the first time we’re going to compete in this competition, it’s a top competition. It’s going to give South Africans a new dimension, playing against the French teams, the Premiership teams, it’s exciting.
“It’s [against] players you only see on television, now you are going to play against them. The French teams have big high profile players. These youngsters will have the opportunity to measure themselves against those top teams,” he said.
The Springbok flanker said that it’s important they lay a marker against Lyon tomorrow.
“Starting good in this competition is important,” he said.
“You need every bit of confidence you can take going to the Champions Cup. The win in the past weekend [in the United Rugby Championship against Cardiff] will help going into the Lyon match,” said the 27-year-old.
Starting Champions Cup well is vital – Van Staden
Boasting previous experience, Bulls loose forward rates tourney as tough
Image: Lee Warren
Ahead of the Bulls debut game in the Champions Cup, loose forward Marco van Staden has warned his teammates to expect some tough matchups in the competitions.
The Bulls will make their first bow in the Champions Cup tomorrow when they welcome French side Lyon to Loftus Versfeld (7.10pm).
Van Staden has had a taste of the Champions Cup; he got to give it a go during his short stint at English Premiership side Leicester Tigers. He played two matches in the Champions Cup before a concussion injury halted his season and eventually saw him released early from his contract by the Premiership team.
The Bulls took a chance on Van Staden, giving him a contract amid the uncertainty of whether he’ll ever play again. The man known as "Eskom", is switched on at the moment unlike his namesake, the national power utility.
With the Bulls playing in the Champions Cup, Van Staden will get a chance to tackle the competition again and he knows it will not be easy to bring down.
“The Champions Cup is the toughest club competition in the world, I played a few games when I was at Leicester, it’s a very tough competition,” said Van Staden when speaking to the media.
“The excitement is very high in the team, it’s the first time we’re going to compete in this competition, it’s a top competition. It’s going to give South Africans a new dimension, playing against the French teams, the Premiership teams, it’s exciting.
“It’s [against] players you only see on television, now you are going to play against them. The French teams have big high profile players. These youngsters will have the opportunity to measure themselves against those top teams,” he said.
The Springbok flanker said that it’s important they lay a marker against Lyon tomorrow.
“Starting good in this competition is important,” he said.
“You need every bit of confidence you can take going to the Champions Cup. The win in the past weekend [in the United Rugby Championship against Cardiff] will help going into the Lyon match,” said the 27-year-old.
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