VIDEO: Jake's Bulls not one-trick ponies
REACTION: One certainly can not read too much into pre-season matches, however, the Bulls’ demolition of Sharks was a firm warning to their rivals.
The Bulls secured an emphatic 49-28 win over the Sharks in their SuperFan Saturday clash at Loftus Versfeld.
It was a performance that reminded the local fraternity of the new coach and Director of Rugby Jake White’s coaching prowess.
White’s game-plan tends to be based on powerful forward dominance and tactical kicks, which certainly suits the Bulls’ DNA.
However, on Saturday the surprise factor was the Pretoria side’s dynamic backline.
Gio Aplon and Cornal Hendricks at fullback and inside centre respectively made impressive contributions.
Morne Steyn dictated much of the proceedings from the flyhalf position.
While young BlitzBoks stars Kurt-Lee Arendse and Stedman Gans stole the show with their lethal runs and impressive defensive work.
Slowly now….😉😁
— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) September 26, 2020
“When you looked at the backs, it’s the first they played together,” White told reporters, adding: “And to see the type of tries they scored and cohesion they showed was notable.
“Without singling anyone out, Kurt-Lee basically rounded off a 95m movement, a fantastic thing for a forward to get out of a scrum, lineout or breakdown and see your win run the whole length of the field and score,”
He added: “Credit really has to go to [BlitzBoks coach] Neil Powell. I think Powell and [Sevens academy coach] Marius Schoeman worked superbly with those players, whose basic skills are unbelievable.
“They can catch and pass effectively and their defence is robust and understand the game so well. You immediately see when you start working with them that their work ethic is excellent, really encouraging to me that we can incorporate such player seamlessly into the fifteen-man format,”
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