Bulls boss vents frustration after Champions Cup calamity against Bordeaux

The hosts were 33-22 up at the break, only to concede 24 unanswered points in the second stanza.

Ackermann acknowledged the fans' bewilderment at a team that dazzles one moment and concedes tries too easily the next.

"If you can score tries but keep leaking them, you're not going to win," he told the Bulls' website.

"It's frustrating for us; quality players making uncharacteristic mistakes, sometimes individual, sometimes not consistent.

"It's mystifying to the outside observer how one moment we're brilliant, scoring tries with ease, and the next, we're conceding just as easily,"

"It's not one area, it's across the board. Sometimes it's an individual mistake; sometimes it's a collective lapse. And frustratingly, it's often the same quality players who have done well in the past making these errors."

Such miscues have had a cumulative effect, eroding any advantage the Bulls gain during their good patches. Ackermann highlighted critical phases from recent matches where conceding possession in key moments has shifted momentum decisively against them.

"Last week and this week, small things like losing kick-offs, knocked-on balls, or failing to secure breakdowns have directly led to opposition tries," he continued.

"If you can't fix these basics, you place yourself on the back foot too often."

Discipline was another major area of concern; second-half yellow cards, which left the Bulls playing with fewer men at crucial junctures, decisively turned the tide.
The defeat was all the more painful because it came at home in front of expectant fans who have grown restless with the team's erratic form.

Ackermann sympathised with the supporters' disappointment but called on patience and unity as the team navigates this rough patch.

"I see it as a massive test of character, for both the players and the team as a whole. We have to stick together if we want to get through this storm.

"It's so easy to point fingers, but the honest and open conversations have to happen among us, not outside the team.

"If we had that same team four games in a row, the cohesion and timing would improve. We won't get consistency in the lineup until probably February," he said. 

"This means trusting that returning and emerging players will adapt quickly and that selection will be based on performance and minimising mistakes."

Ackermann's reflections extended to the broader context of the Champions Cup and the pressures that come with such elite competitions. He explained how European clubs prioritise trophies differently, with some like Toulouse and Leinster fully focused on European glory.

Contrasting the fragmented nature of South African fan engagement with these high-level clashes, he suggested a cultural adjustment in appreciating the stakes and intensity is needed.

"The Champions Cup puts pressure on your squad because you have only a few games to make the playoffs, and the margin for error is tiny," he said.

Looking ahead, Sunday's away game against Northampton has become pivotal for the Bulls' Champions Cup aspirations.