Bulls coach Jake White on lessons from Pep Guardiola, admits to Champions Cup frustration

Reflecting on another underwhelming campaign in the Champions Cup, Bulls coach Jake White admitted to frustration that his side cannot crack the tournament’s code but insisted it is not all doom and gloom. 

Their Champions Cup campaign is over, but the Bulls at least produced a strong performance in their final pool game to crush French club Stade Français 48-7 at Loftus on Saturday. With that emphatic victory, where they outscored their hapless French opponents by seven tries to one, the Bulls earned a spot in the last 16 of the EPCR Challenge Cup. 

“You also don’t want to stand on the cliff and shout into the wilderness where no one is listening. There is frustration because we want to win and I know everyone wants to win,” White said afterwards. 

The former Springbok World Cup-winning coach admitted the Bulls are not progressing at the pace they anticipated in the tournament. 

“The Sharks and the Stormers want to win and every coach who is in this job wants to win, so there is frustration. I want to see whether we are ever going to get to that point and if not, then I‘ll have to accept the lay of the land is different. 

“You then have to re-evaluate what your role is. If that role is to bring in players through and give them game time while the overseas players are playing and creating depth for rotation for the national team, then we will have to accept that. 

“I want to see any coach who will sit here and say, 'I don’t want to win.' Every coach wants to win and that’s why you are in this game. It is a bit like last year and I feel like sometimes we go one step forward and four back.” 

The art of coaching is also important and it is not always the science of coaching

—  Jake White, Bulls coach

Poor results, especially on the road, have brought into focus whether it is in South African rugby's best interests to see teams from a country that has won the last two Rugby World Cups routinely lose in Europe.

Since their introduction to Champions Cup rugby the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers have collectively played 17 away matches. They have won just four. Still, there are arguments to be made for how competing, and slowly adjusting, to the level of the Champions League in a variety of conditions against various styles of play is strengthening the rugby of the country of the world champions.

White, even after a morale-boosting win, sounded like the tough side of such a learning curve was, in the moment, cause for contemplation. The coach took part of the responsibility for the team’s struggles in the tournament, where they won one of their five pool matches.

“Sometimes it is of our own doing but that’s why it is called coaching. The art of coaching is also important and it is not always the science of coaching. That’s why I listen to guys like Pep Guardiola and Warren Gatland because everyone has their own uncontrollables they need to sort out and you learn from those coaches. 

“I just hope by this time next year, our squad will be stronger. The nice thing is we will be stronger because a guy like Reinhardt Ludwig, who came on after a seven to nine-week injury, will be better next week. Next year he will be a year older and he will be sharper and a more mature player.

“So we are going to get there. It is not all doom and gloom.”