Fardy warns Connacht of the difficulty of famous Loftus stadium
DIFFICULT TASK: Connacht's Defence Coach Scott Fardy knows at first hand the difficulty of the task facing his new Connacht charges as they prepare to take on the Bulls at the famous Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday. Pic: ©INPHO/SteveHaagSports/Steve Haag
Former Wallaby Scott Fardy knows at first hand the difficulty of the task facing his new Connacht charges as they prepare to take on the Bulls at the famous Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The 52,000 capacity stadium, which has staged FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup fixtures is a cauldron at altitude, with the Bulls’ fans expecting a big show from their side after two wins and two losses on their tour to Europe.
The Bulls are putting a proud record on the line on Saturday as they have never lost in a dozen URC games to a side from Europe since they joined the competition over two years ago.
And while Connacht go into the game on the back of a 13-12 win over the Sharks last weekend — their fifth in ten games in South Africa — Fardy knows that Jake White’s men will be a much tougher opponent.
“They are a big side and play with a lot of width, but there is a huge challenge around the set-piece with the Bulls,” said the former Brumbies player. “The Sharks were good in that area as well, they are quite similar, but it’s another huge challenge to go to Loftus.
“It’s a fantastic stadium. I have played there three times. l lost a game in 2012, but in 2013 we won a famous victory with the Brumbies in the semi-final to get us through to the final against the Chiefs. Then I lost a test match there in 2016. It is a difficult place to go and win.
“But it is a famous ground and the boys are in for a treat. We spoke about it last week, the opportunity to play in these famous old grounds that have so much history. It’s the stuff you remember. The guys will remember their game at the weekend, not for how badly we played, but for getting a win, and I think that was really special.” Connacht face Leinster next week in the first of three Irish derbies in a block which will also include four Champions Cup games, so while they came through the Sharks win relatively unscathed, it’s expected they will rotate a lot of players for this one.
Fardy knows that White is one of the most experienced coaches on the circuit and that the former Springbok World Cup winning coach will have targeted this one on their return from Europe.
“Jake is an accomplished coach with a long coaching career, and they are a difficult side to break down,” he added. “They are usually full of Springboks, and they now have a good young side who are well developed and play every week.
“In Super Rugby they were always an incredible challenge and we know it is going to be tough to win. They had a late loss against Edinburgh last weekend, so they will back themselves to turn things around against us.”
