Ackermann calls Lions rout an 'emotional' return

JOHAN

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Ackermann said he had a hunch that his team was on the verge of clicking, but had no idea that a 52-17 demolition of the Lions was on the cards.The Bulls’ 61-49 defeat to Bristol at Loftus Versfeld on January 10 seems a world away now that Ackermann’s men have won three in a row, all of them on the road. At Ellis Park on Saturday, the Lions were shut out from the first whistle to the last, with the Bulls scoring eight excellent tries. They scored exactly 26 points in each half.

“We wanted to mix it up a bit, and the boys got the balance right,’ a delighted Ackermann said.

“There were one or two opportunities probably out wide as well, but we felt the forwards were doing well, and we just stuck to that. The first few aerial contests went our way, and that’s the fine margins of this game.