{
  "id": 12413494,
  "title": "Bulls are a different team this season, says Lions boss Van Rooyen ahead of Loftus showdown",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/bulls-are-a-different-team-this-season-says-lions-boss-van-rooyen",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T15:53:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/rugby/lions-up-game-bulls-battle-van-rooyen/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen anticipates a different Bulls team this season for their first local derby at Loftus on Saturday. While the Lions enjoyed a strong start to the United Rugby Championship season, with wins over Leinster and Ospreys, they must improve to contend against a more formidable Bulls outfit. Van Rooyen emphasized the significance of accuracy and set-piece battles, noting that the Bulls have become more physical and aggressive. The Lions must also adapt to their new opponent, who displayed greater speed, strength, and depth in the forwards during their recent matches. Van Rooyen highlighted the need for better accuracy, as the Lions' inaccuracy led to halftime deficits against both Ospreys and Leinster. Despite their recent successes, Van Rooyen stressed that the Lions cannot rely on their second-half momentum and must seize opportunities against the revamped Bulls team.",
  "summary": "A confident Lions team will still need to step up, despite a good start to the season, when they cross the Jukskei to face the Bulls on Saturday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}