A resolute BBCo Director of Rugby, Jake White remains upbeat about the road ahead, emphasising that his charger’s loss in Scotland does not cast a ‘doom and gloom’ spell for the remainder of the season.
“The beauty of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship is that there are no guarantees, it is a tough competition but just because we have lost to Glasgow does not mean that it is the end of the season for us. Last season, this time, we had lost three and still, we managed to pick ourselves up and work our way to the finals,” comments the Vodacom Bulls mentor.
The Pretoria outfit were outmuscled 35-21 (on Saturday) by a well-mannered Glasgow Warriors outfit in front of a packed Scotstoun Stadium. Despite the loss, White pointed to some of the positives gained from the clash.
“We scrummed very well, with the likes of Simphiwe Matanzima who hasn’t had much game time because of his leg injury; but I am glad he came through for us. Our second front row really played well too, scrumming well, and that bodes well for the next game.”
After round 4 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, the Vodacom Bulls (now) sit fifth on the table, five points adrift from table toppers, Leinster.
White highlights the need to be patient as his young team develops and learns by applying their trade.
“We cannot fast forward age, we cannot fast-track experience… but the positive thing about where this team is (currently) is that they are learning and in four years’ time, when we have Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith, Gerhard Steenekamp, ElrighLouw, RuanNortjé, Kurt-Lee Arendse (and many others)all on 100 Vodacom United Rugby Championship caps, we will be a power side.”
“But that does not mean we are going to lie down; it just means we put this (loss to Glasgow) in our memory bank and find ways as the coaches and players to get better” he concluded.
The Vodacom Bulls will next lace their boots against Munster on Saturday 15 October 2022. An encounter that the BBCo Director of Rugby predicts will be a good test for his young side.
“Munster have a lot of international players and so we will have to up our game. They have also lost three of their last four games, so it is not going to be easy but we will work things out together (as coaches and players) and prepare to move forward. We put our heads together and get a team together that (we think) can beat Munster.”
The fixture at Thomond Park will kick-off at 20:35pm South African Time. The match will be broadcast LIVE on SuperSport Rugby.
