Jake White says the Vodacom Bulls are just trying to “stay alive” in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, as he juggles the personnel demands of a jam-packed match schedule.

It has been a busy week for the Bulls’ director of rugby, with the majority of his matchday squad to face Scarlets at Loftus Versfeld on Friday only two days removed from beating the Sharks in the Currie Cup.

This, on the back of their first URC win over Munster on Saturday in Pretoria, in which veteran Bismarck du Plessis saw red and was suspended for a dangerous tip tackle.

“We didn’t do the fixtures, that is what we have been given, we have to try and stay alive in the competition and that is what we are doing,” White said. “We are picking the best possible team from week to week … we only have 45 players in our squad.

“We have got Bismarck [du Plessis], who is waiting for his hearing. We have Mornay Smith out, we have Sintu Manjezi out, we have Jacques du Plessis out, and we have one or two other players out like Johan Goosen as well.

“Recovery-wise, the conditioning staff are working really hard on getting guys back onto the field. We have to do what we can do.”