Munster facing fierce Bulls backlash?
Plenty of introspection and planning. That awaits the Bulls, as they look to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
Last season’s runners-up from Pretoria came up short – losing 21-35 to a fired-up Glasgow Warriors in Scotland at the weekend.
The Warriors produced a superb performance against a lacklustre Bulls outfit in their United Rugby Championship Round Four encounter at the Scotstoun Stadium – ending the Pretoria outfit’s three-match unbeaten run.
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White, who said it is ‘not all doom and gloom, pointed to the youthful nature of his team as a ‘contributing factor’, with the Warriors team featuring more Test caps than the Bulls’ URC appearances.
“People have to be a little more understanding of the fact that we [the Bulls] are still very, very young,” White said.
The Bulls boss said the game resembled a classic case of ‘boys against men’.
“It, Glasgow, is a tough place to visit,” White said, adding: “They lost only once at home last year and they haven’t lost at home yet this season.”
He admitted that his team did not have a good day at the office, saying if you ‘play badly’ you just don’t get the rewards.
White said the Bulls have to ‘dust themselves off’ and prepare for their Round Five trip to Limerick and an encounter with a tricky Munster outfit.
Despite his obvious disappointment in the performance, White is not about to throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water.
“I’m not a coach who shouts and screams, belittling the players – trying to break them down.
“It is a long season and one poor performance doesn’t mean we are not going to win the competition.
“Last year at this stage we had won only one game. The margins are small.
“We will get back on the training field and do our homework on Munster.
“It won’t get any easier. Munster is under the pump, having lost three of their four games.
“However, they also have an excellent record at home [Thomond Park.
“They have lots and lots of international experience,
“As a group, we will work it out together.”
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White said the lack of experience is not something he can resolve instantly. It is not a ‘quick fix’.
He pointed to players like Reinhardt Ludwig (21), Elrigh Louw (22) and Jan-Hendrik Wessels (21) as players that will grow through the experience of such a loss.
“That is what I have to work with,” the Bulls boss said, adding: “If you spend some time and learn through these performances, then they will become better players.
“All I can ask for is that they learn through these performances.”
He said in four years’ time, when some of those players have 100 URC caps to their credit, this Bulls team will be a very different beast.
“Then we will be a ‘power’ side,” White said, adding: “It doesn’t mean we are going to lie down and die.
“We have to put this in our memory bank and ensure we – coaches and players – find ways to get better.”
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