Bulls keen to wrap it
WHITE: PREFERS TEAM TO TAKE DESTINY INTO THEIR OWN HANDS WITH WIN
There’s only one thing Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, wants from the Champions Cup match against French Top14 outfit Bordeaux Bègles at Loftus Versfeld this afternoon (3pm) – victory.
A win for the Bulls will secure their place in the last-16 of the competition, while Bordeaux Bègles have already qualified for the knockout stages in Pool 1 with 15 points before this game. They are joined by Lyon, who are in second with 12 points.
The last two play-off spots will be fought for by the Bulls, who are in third in the pool with 10 points.
Bristol Bears and Saracens, who are equal on five points each, in fourth and fifth place respectively. Connacht are out of the running as they are in last place with just one point.
Although a point will be enough to see the Bulls through, White wants his side to take their destiny into their own hands as a win will help their bid to finish in the top spot and secure a home play-off match.
“We have got to do the job and get a win first. The most important thing is to play well enough to get a win,” White said yesterday.
“This is a tough competition. So many things change. Let’s not forget Saracens play Lyon and if Lyon win that game there’s no guarantee we come second either.”
White is also mindful that the script in Pool 1 can change drastically. The Bulls can finish first or end up in fifth place and drop down to play in the Challenge Cup.
The pressure of what’s at stake is something White wants his players to embrace.
“The pressure is obviously on us. I say that because there are so many permutations that can happen,” White said.
“We can go from first in our pool to fourth or even fifth if Saracens and Bristol play really well. So, it’s important to start well but at the end of the day, we just have to make sure we get a result.
“We want this pressure, want to play against the best and see how good we are.
“We can come first and win it and that’s not bad pressure, it’s nice sports pressure,” he said.
The Bulls are playing against a Bordeaux Bègles side that’s on an eight-game winning run in all competitions. If the Bulls are to topple them, a good start is needed.
“We want to start well. One thing they are good at is starting well and run away with games quickly, so a good start is always good, you want to create pressure and start well,” White said.