Jake White conceded his team’s season has not been a success but vowed to set things right.
After witnessing his side’s 33-21 elimination from the United Rugby Championship by the Stormers in their quarterfinal on Saturday, the Bulls director of rugby departed Cape Town Stadium with the unambiguous message “we’ll get it right, I promise you”.
White said the Bulls will go on a recruitment drive with players who possess the ability to pull a rabbit from the hat their high-priority targets.
“When I reflect on the URC, that’s the one thing I see we are probably lacking, a couple of X-factor guys. Maybe next season we will do a bit of recruiting, get those guys to open the game up a bit,” asserted White.
“I guarantee that we will get it right, that we will work hard and by this time next year we will be a much better team from the lessons we learnt in this campaign.”
He was happy to point out that he works for an organisation that has the will as deep as their pockets, and that his 35 years’ experience in the industry will also restore the Bulls to winning ways.
White wants players that fit a particular profile whether sourced through the market or remoulded from within. He explained his team needed more speed and bulk.
By way of example he will be asking captain and lock Ruan Nortje to be less bean pole and more behemoth. “These are things that should start on Monday,” said White with a sense of urgency.
They [Stormers] looked sharp, their explosiveness is very good. We’re missing that. The Stormers are a very solid outfit.
— Jake White
Apart from addressing a player talent shortfall the Bulls will also assemble a fit-for-purpose coaching staff. They have been operating without a recognised defence coach since the departure of Joey Mongalo.
If White travelled to Cape Town with an inferiority complex, the Stormers’ performance would only have sharpened that sentiment.
“They looked sharp, their explosiveness is very good. We’re missing that. The Stormers are a very solid outfit. They can hold you in the first phase, they can put you under pressure when you try to play from line-outs. They have an incredible defence system and as soon as you turn the ball over, they can punish you.”
White admitted the Stormers were the far superior side but said he was proud of the way his team stayed in the fight.
The Bulls showed huge character after falling 17-0 behind. Lesser teams may have dropped their bundle against the Stormers. They scrambled well in defence but their ability to take the game to the home team was compromised by injuries they suffered in the build up and during the game. Not having Canan Moodie and then losing Johan Goosen meant their kicking and aerial game suffered.
White took time to draw attention to the match officials’ inconsistencies. He was less than pleased with how referee Jaco Peyper adjudicated at the ruck.
“I’ve heard there’s zero tolerance on hands past the ball on the ground, but it didn’t look like that tonight. I heard that if you sack a maul, and it’s a tackle, then you can’t lie on top of the ball. But that didn’t happen tonight either.”
Goosen’s departure after a head clash also raised his ire. “I think some guy whacked him on the head in a tackle. There were a couple of head-to-head clashes tonight which no-one saw.
“I watched a Test match where some of those tackles get red-carded ... tonight we had the best TMO, the best referee in SA, but there’s nothing wrong,” said White in relation to the tackles.
He conceded, a little grudgingly, the Stormers have found ways of falling on the right side of the referee’s decisions. “To be fair, that’s what the Stormers do well and you’ve got to adapt to that. They do it well, they’re very good at it.”
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