Bulls captain Victor Matfield believes his side need to make only a few minor adjustments to get back to winning ways.
The defending champions take on the Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday in what has been labelled a must-win match for both sides if they are to reach the Super Rugby playoffs.
While there are no shortages of reasons why the Bulls have not played to their full potential, Matfield simplified the situation by comparing it to the mental block golfers face when they over analyse their game.
“The more pressure there is, the harder the guys try and the more mistakes they make,” said Matfield.
“We just need to believe in ourselves and play the game.
“It is almost like a golf swing. When you think you too much about your swing, you tend to make more mistakes.
“It must just come naturally and you must just go out and do the things you’ve done 100 times before.”
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said the team needed to take responsibility for their actions, but insisted their poor season was not the result of a lack of commitment.
“I can assure you that the effort and commitment is big and I think even bigger this weekend … because we still believe we can make it,” Ludeke said.
The Bulls mentor showed faith in his players ahead of the Chiefs clash by retaining the same combinations.
Ludeke rotated only his hookers — a consistent feature this season — while making minor adjustments to the bench.
The Chiefs followed suit by also naming only one change to the side that kicked off their tour with a 34-30 victory over the Lions last week.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster was forced to bring in Save Tokula at wing to replace Sitiveni Sivivatu who picked up a hamstring injury.
This match will be seen as a rare opportunity for the Chiefs to get one over the Bulls who have not been able to reproduce the form that saw them win back-to-back Super Rugby titles.
The two sides are in similar positions as far as booking a place in the playoffs is concerned, although the tourists appear to be a tighter knit unit.
The Bulls have also been criticised for having too many commitments off the field, which will make it interesting to see how they perform in the red strip their sponsors have requested them to wear. — Sapa