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Connacht coach warns charges of Bulls 'bullies': 'We need to stop being the nice Irish boys'

Connacht forwards coach Dewald Senekal has called on his players to up their physicality when they tackle the Bulls in a URC clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

Connacht started their South African tour with a 38-15 defeat to the Stormers in Stellenbosch last weekend.

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The SA-born Senekal told reporters that the only way they can compete with the Bulls is to front up to the "bullies" from Pretoria.

"We're in the land of physicality. We need to be present. It's not always a size thing, it's intent. We need to stop being the nice Connacht Irish boys that are fair play," Senekal said, as quoted by The42.ie website.

"We need to really try and impose ourselves - have that intent to clean someone to the floor, hit them hard when they're giving us open ribs or something, within the laws of the game, obviously.

"I definitely believe it's a mindset and that's where we've challenged ourselves. I felt that in stages in the Stormers performances, there were hints of it and we're getting there. It doesn't come naturally to our boys but I definitely believe there was a step up there. I did thank them for that this week."

Senekal, who played locally as a loose forward for the Cheetahs and Lions, said of the Bulls: "Even within South African terms, they're known as a side who want to impose themselves and as bullies. They haven't forgotten what happened last year at The Sportsground (Connacht beat the Bulls 34-7), so they know what's coming. Now it's really around us flying through the storm and meeting it head on.

"We can't shy away from it because for me that's the real part of taking the next step as a team. Even against a tough side, we need to be present on Friday night

Read more on news24.com