VIDEO: It's a good time for Bulls to 'regroup'
The Bulls have lost their seventh-consecutive match against the Stormers, but Director of Rugby Jake White is not about to throw in the towel.
The 2007 World Cup-winning Springbok coach believes now is a great time for the Pretoria-based franchise to ‘regroup’ and ‘reassess’.
The Stormers edged the Bulls 26-20 in a tense and bruising South African derby in Cape Town, having led for all but 14 minutes of a match played in front of a crowd of 39,927 – lifting the home team to seventh in the United Rugby Championship standings.
Springbok flyhalf proved to be the difference – landing three penalties and two conversions in a nearly flawless performance from the kicking tee, ensuring that the Bulls finished on the losing side despite outscoring with three tries to two.
Despite dropping to fourth in the standings, White was adamant that the tournament is #NOT over.
He pointed out that five out of those seven losses were at the Cape Town stadium, a venue where the Stormers have only ever lost three times – to the Lions in December 2021 and twice last year to Irish province Munster, the second in the URC Final.
In between they went on an 18-match winning streak at home (28 wins in total), with only those two Munster defeats between December 2021 and December 2023.
“Most teams find it difficult to win here, even La Rochelle last week,” White said in the wake of Saturday’s six-point loss.
“We came within a couple of minutes of winning the game,” the Bulls boss said, adding: “It was probably the worst we played this year – in that first half.
“Those are the margins.”
After nine rounds the Bulls are still the best-placed South African team – sitting in fourth, four points off the pace set by Glasgow (with 30 points).
The Stormers are eighth (22 points), followed by the Lions (10th, 19 points) and Sharks (15th, seven points).
(WATCH as Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White explains to @king365ed what aspects of the game his team most needs to work on as they head into their Christmas break…)
“We have only played three home games this season,” White said.
Despite the brutal nature of the game, the Bulls boss believes his team his team lack of intensity and positive body language they had displayed earlier in the season.
He said they should be able to “get up” for the Stormers the same way they performed in the victories over Saracens (a 27-16 European Cup win) and the Sharks (a 44-10 URC triumph).
“It don’t know if we do it purposely, but we come here [Cape Town] and we don’t look the same team,” he said.
“The understanding of what you give off [the body language] has an impact on the team that plays against you.
“We can get up for Saracens [and all their England players] and the Sharks, with nine Springboks, but we have to ensure we are good enough, smart enough and aware enough of the fact of all the things we do in the game.”
Turning to the loss against the Stormers he admitted it was a game of quality.
“It was reminiscent of those old North-South derbies,” White told @rugby365com, adding: “It had everything – drop-kicks missing, tries being disallowed.
“I’m disappointed because I wanted to win.
“It is difficult to win and statistically 68 percent of games go to the home team.
“They have an incredible record here [in Cape Town] and defensively they are a difficult team to break down.”
White said “it is a good time now to regroup” during the two-week break, before their Round Three Champions Cup trip to Ashton Gate and an encounter with the Bristol Bears.
“The [URC] tournament is not over.
“Look back at the last couple of years. It is irrelevant where you are this time of the season.
“It is about where you are when the play-offs come.”
The Bulls boss said their decision-making at the breakdown needs some improvement.
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