Bulls shift focus to Stormers after Champions Cup disappointment

Bulls coach Jake White, who was left with mixed emotions after his side's one-point loss to Lyon in the Champions Cup, wants his players to learn and quickly move on from it and focus on their tough return to the United Rugby Championship (URC).   

The Bulls, after their 29-28 defeat to Lyon in the Champions Cup in France at the weekend, travel to meet the Stormers in the URC at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (7pm).

“We are disappointed to walk away from the match as the side that lost because we will probably walk away feeling we should have won that one,” White said.

He said the narrow defeat away was “impressive for us, and is a sign of the great depth that we are working on as a club to be able to rotate our side and come to France and take the game to them like we did”.   

After a strong first-half performance, the Bulls were unable to contain their hosts in the second 40 minutes.   

White, who made wholesale changes to his team for the Lyon trip, said he hoped his players learnt there are no easy games in the Champions Cup — and what it takes to get wins in the tough tournament.   

“To stay in the game and in the end lose by one point is a sign of how tight and how tough this competition is,” White said.   

“You need to be on top of your game from start to finish, otherwise you allow the other side an opportunity to steal it from you.   

“Having said all that, I am extremely proud of the character and spirit the team showed to stay in the fight right until the very last minute and the last play of the match. The boys must take that as a pat on the back.   

“We will get better and we will learn as we go forward, even if sometimes the results do not go your way. We now return home with a [bonus] point away from home and we will go back to work on Monday as we prepare for another big week ahead.”   

The Bulls are the only South African team in the top eight in the URC. They are in third place after seven rounds.   

The Stormers, finalists in the previous two seasons, find themselves in an unusually low 10th place. They will be eager to improve their placing on the log table by claiming a win and bragging right in Saturday's South African derby.   

The men from Cape Town have won their past six URC outings against the Bulls.