Jake White says the Vodacom Bulls are still very much in the race to top the South African conference while also aiming a dig at the Stormers after his team’s loss in Cape Town on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
The past came back to haunt the Bulls as Manie Libbok, a player who once called Pretoria home, and Damian Willemse, whom the Bulls targeted as a key signing, kicked three penalties and a drop goal between them to steer the Stormers to a crucial 19-17 win at Cape Town Stadium.
This drew the Stormers level with fourth-placed Irish side Munster on the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log, while the eighth-placed Bulls trail their southern rivals by four points.
However, Bulls head coach White has refused to rule out the possibility of his side making a late surge to snatch the South African conference from the Stormers.
In the remaining fixtures this season, the Stormers will face Glasgow Warriors and Leinster in Cape Town, before travelling to Wales to face the Scarlets. By contrast, the Bulls have a slightly easier run-in as they host Italian side Benetton and Glasgow, before finishing with an away fixture against the Ospreys.
“The outcome was always going to go to the wire,” White said post-match. “We had a chance at the end. If we could have got into their half, Morne Steyn would have kicked a penalty. Let’s not forget, last year he kicked a penalty against the British & Irish Lions here. I thought it was a bit of deja vu.
“That’s the margins. We couldn’t get out of our half. They played tactically well. We probably kicked the ball back to them too often.
“But, the tournament is still on. We are alive and kicking and there is a lot of rugby to be played. We have already played Leinster, Connacht and Munster.”
When asked whether his side would be targeting winning the South African conference, White – who last year coached the Bulls to back-to-back Currie Cup titles – could not resist having a not-so-subtle dig at the Stormers after the home side revelled in their victory on the final whistle.
“It’s nice to win a trophy, especially if you haven’t won one in years. I suppose that’s why you have to jump up and down at the end of a game because you have a chance to win a trophy,” White said.
“A lot of our guys have won some trophies in the last two years. I suppose that’s the bottom line; it’s called a shield and if you think you can win it, then you have to go for it.”
White did, however, have some kinder words for the way the Stormers defended at the lineouts and put the Bulls under immense pressure at the breakdowns.
“At times, we looked a bit disorganised. They put us under pressure from first phase and from the lineouts. We couldn’t get any rhythm. They were very good at the breakdown. Every time we did get the ball, we struggled to keep it through a couple of phases. It’s not the best we have played, so … it’s one of those games. It’s difficult to play against the Stormers in Cape Town.
“The last couple of weeks, we were able to win lineouts and get quick ball at the breakdown. They changed their defensive pattern from their lineouts. They did a different pattern in how they contested. They caught us a bit and it took us a long time to get back to winning the ball. When we did, we looked all right. We got some reward, but they did make it difficult for us.
“At least we got the losing bonus point and are still alive. That’s obviously crucial.”
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
