VIDEO: Bulls will 'box clever' in two-pronged Euro attack
The Bulls will only formally announce their team for the Round Two Champions Cup trip to Lyon on Friday, but Director of Rugby Jake White dropped some serious hints that he will be keeping some of his powder dry.
The Bulls – on a three-match winning streak – are pushing hard on two fronts.
They have won five of their six matches since the beginning of November, with their only loss a 23-31 reversal away against an Edinburgh team loaded with internationals.
Since that loss, on November 17, the Bulls have beaten Connacht (53-27), the Sharks (44-10) and Saracens (27-16) in convincing fashion.
White said it is ‘important’ to win as many of your pool games as possible – including getting points on the road.
(WATCH as Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White drops some serious selection hints ahead of Round Two of the Champions Cup…)
The Bulls, after beating Saracens in their tournament opener at Loftus this past weekend, face Lyon at Matmut Stadium de Gerland this coming Saturday, followed by January fixtures against Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate in Round Three and hosting Bordeaux-Bègles in Pretoria a week later – with their festive season United Rugby Championship block sandwiched in between.
The European Cup change in format – that eliminated the home-and-away system – means the four-game shoot-out makes qualifying much more challenging.
Teams need to finish in the top four of their pool to qualify for the round of 16, while the fifth-placed teams from the pool stages drop down to the Challenge Cup.
The rest will have their campaigns ended prematurely.
The Bulls boss is adamant that the Bulls are not yet in a position to challenge in two competitions – the URC and Champions Cup.
He said the depth of the Bulls’ squad is not of a standard that allows them to target both European tournaments.
“There were 20 international players in the Saracens team,” White said, adding that a substantial number of those featured at the World Cup back in September and October.
“That shows the calibre of the squad you need.
“We are not there yet, so we will have to ‘box clever’.”
The Bulls, as a result of their early-season form in the URC, are sitting in third place – four points behind the table-topping Leinster side.
“We have a massive game against the Stormers in Cape Town [on December 23], a team we haven’t beaten in the URC.”
White said it now presents him with a position to see exactly how much depth he has in his squad – for the short and long term.
“We will have to find the balance between making sure we prepare for the big games in the URC, while doing as well as we can in the Champions Cup.”
He said the winning streak has a domino effect that will stand them in good stead for the ‘big games’ ahead.
“It is a wonderful place to be as a team,” White said.
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