There was no hint of that on Friday night in Hamilton.
People might point to Craig Clarke's decisions to forsake kickable penalties as a gamble, but he has done it several times already this season.
Rather than desperation, it is coldly calculating. Bunches of points come from building sustained pressure.
Clarke knew that what the Bulls desperately wanted on Friday was for the game to stop while Aaron Cruden lined up difficult shots.
Instead what they got on one occasion was a beautifully worked scrum move that saw Asaeli Tikoirotuma score.
There were many other pluses, none more so than the front row.
Ben Afeaki came through his first outing since breaking his arm in week one with a powerhouse propping display.
Coach Dave Rennie and forwards coach Tom Coventry now have four props at the top of their game to choose from - Afeaki and fellow tighthead Ben Tameifuna, plus looseheads Toby Smith and Sona Taumalolo. That's an enviable position to be in.
"We've got depth," Rennie said. "The scrum was really solid and for Ben to come in and play 80 minutes was pretty impressive."
Scrum, good; lineout, not so.
It is not a major, though, said Rennie. Their issues stemmed from a lack of tempo when forming the lineout.
"The Bulls have a very good defensive lineout, especially if they have time to set up," Rennie said.
Andrew Horrell is the only new injury worry.
"He's got a bit of a bruise on his calf that we will need to monitor. We hope it is just a bruise and not a small tear."
Horrell has been a minor revelation at fullback, having played most of his recent rugby at five-eighths for Hawkes Bay.
Richard Kahui and Shane Cleaver remain out with long-term injuries, while any hope that Tim Nanai-Williams might be ready for a return against the Blues appear to have been dashed.
