VIDEO - White: 'We probably got no chance against Leinster and Munster'
VIDEO: In everybody’s eyes the Bulls have no chance of beating either Leinster or Munster, but Jake White, the Director of Rugby, says that can be a nice place to be.
White was under no illusion about the challenges still ahead for his side after beating Benetton in a not-so-convincing way at Loftus Versfeld in the quarterfinal on Saturday.
They now face Leinster in the semifinal after the Irish giants brushed aside Ulster 43-20 in Dublin.
“The interesting thing is there are 160 minutes left of rugby. And let’s be fair, no one thought Benetton could beat us. And they nearly did,” the coach commented.
“So we probably got no chance against Leinster and no chance against Munster, in everyone’s eyes. Probably two of the best clubs in the world.
“But that’s sometimes a nice place to be.
“Because Benetton showed today [Saturday] that if you really play well you can win a knock-out game,” White said of the efforts that the Italians showed.
The Bulls coach said he still had faith in his depth despite losing two World Cup-winning wings in the space of one week.
Canan Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse both went under the knife within the space of a week.
He was also banking on the availability of two stalwarts, Marco van Staden and Marcell Coetzee, who both watched the quarterfinal from the sidelines.
“I am hoping Marco and Marcell are back next week.
“That gives you two really senior players.
“Sometimes you have to think out of the box, just in terms of what you want out of the game.
“When I get home now I am going to look at the Leinster v Ulster game again and then I will get a good feeling for what the call has to be.
“Sometimes you have to be brave,” he said.
White knows how big the challenge will be for his charges come the semifinal against Leinster this weekend. But he said he would not have to give a massive motivational speech to get the players worked up for the game.
“If it’s Leinster, I don’t have to say anything. They drilled us. What am I going to say that’s going to make them feel differently about getting up for this game?
“The one really positive thing is they beat us 31-3 in the opening game the first year, and we beat them in the semifinals at Leinster.
“So it’s not something that hasn’t been done by our group.
“We are the only South African team that has ever played Leinster’s full-strength side and this will be the third time. There is no other franchise that has played Leinster’s full-strength side.
“In three years, not one of the other franchises [has done it].
“When they came here, they brought their second stringers and at the beginning of the season when we toured there with the South African sides, they were at the World Cup.
“But there’s a positive to that. It means we’ve played their best players – this is the third time,” he explained.
“The nice thing about rugby is when you don’t play well and you win.
“That’s the nice thing about rugby. When you don’t play well and you still get a result. Many teams play well and still lose.
“For me it’s like, let’s recover, let’s get ready, get our bodies right. It’s not going to get any easier now.”
