Jake White spurs a Bulls stampede that is gaining momentum

The Bulls' stampede is gaining momentum and the Stormers were the latest team to suffer an earth-shaking trampling.

While the Stormers went into last Saturday's derby with seven wins over their arch-rivals, it has gone almost unnoticed that the Bulls have been making winning more than a habit.

They are on a five-match winning run after their derby win over the Stormers but their extended record is also noteworthy.

Two close defeats in the second half of December set them back but preceding that they had won five out of six matches. They are gathering momentum and director of rugby Jake White is stopping just short of saying “told you so!”

“We have grown as a team,” White said matter of factly after his team defeated the Stormers. “Early on we did well with a young group of players. We were always going to get better. We'll get it right.”

White is firm in his belief his team is showing an upward curve. Things of course were far from rosy when he took the job almost four years ago. White draws comfort from one of professional sport's truisms that coaches are always a week away from being a superstar.

A sage observation from a perhaps unlikely source also helped bring perspective for White on the day his team broke their losing run against the Stormers. “Bakkies [Botha] said to me in the change room. ‘Sometimes the road is longer than it is wide.’ It's taken a long road for us.”

White wasn't necessarily under pressure to get a positive result against the Stormers but he needed the win as affirmation that progress had been made.

The Bulls, after all, had made considerable investment to change the profile of the squad, with the accent in particular falling on embedding experience.

“From when I got here the squad has changed significantly. The average age has gone up. The guys who stayed have become seasoned pros. I have no doubt we'll just get better and better,” said the coach.

There certainly is greater resolve and resilience in the Bulls ranks. Even on the days when they fall short on the scoreboard, it is by small margins. The Bulls rarely drop their bundle and that is testament to the fighting spirit that now permeates the squad.

There was no Elrigh Louw, no Cameron Hanekom, guys who would ordinarily be in the group. Devon [Williams] keeps a double World Cup winner [Willie le Roux] out of starting line-up. It creates competition in the group. Everyone wants to be part of this. It shows things are working

—  Jake White, Bulls director of rugby

Having to compete in competitions like the URC and Champions Cup, with its burdensome travel schedule, has necessitated the regular rotation of players. When they travel abroad and when they return home, their starting XV for the next game are seated in business class, with the rest of the Bulls in "cattle" class. It has helped them perform to optimum levels after long-haul flights.

Planning ahead in selection has also served its purpose.

What would have emboldened White in his view of his squad's growth is the rapid rise of the young players in his group.

JF van Heerden, who will turn 20 in May, and 24-year-old tighthead prop Francois Klopper helped the Bulls surge to victory in the final quarter last Saturday. White believes it was an enriching experience.

“There was no Elrigh Louw, no Cameron Hanekom, guys who would ordinarily be in the group. Devon [Williams] keeps a double World Cup winner [Willie le Roux] out of starting line-up. It creates competition in the group. Everyone wants to be part of this. It shows things are working,” White stressed.

The grizzled White is, however, wise enough not to read too much into the win against the Stormers. Bigger battles lie ahead.

“We are not there yet,” he said about his team's ability to challenge all comers in the competition.

While the win over the Stormers was a milestone worth celebrating, the World Cup-winning coach assured the Bulls will not get ahead of themselves.

“Humility is something we are big on. We've won a game, a pool game. We've won nothing.”