Bulls face great trek but White happy with ‘small steps’ against Lyon
THE Bulls got the least favoured outcome yesterday as they will have to travel to England to take on Northampton Saints in Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final.
Bulls boss Jake White stated that he would “wear red the whole day” in support of Munster, because a win for the Irish province in yesterday’s round of 16 clash against Northampton in England would have resulted in a Loftus Versfeld quarter-final next weekend.
Instead, the Bulls will have to make an arduous journey to Franklin’s Gardens after Northampton beat Munster 24-14 yesterday.
White would have been a happy man after about an hour as the scores were level at 14-14, but then Northampton replacement back George Hendy dotted down twice in the final quarter to end Munster’s campaign.
The Bulls director of rugby bemoaned the lack of clarity around travel arrangements following his team’s 59-19 romp over Lyon at Loftus on Saturday, as the Champions Cup does make provision for direct flights between Johannesburg and London.
“Geez, I’m going to wear red the whole day. Especially because I haven’t got any travel arrangements from SA Rugby,” White said.
“Last time we went to Leinster, we had to fly on eight different aeroplanes, and I suppose it’s going to be the same (if the Bulls face Northampton in England).
“I haven’t got any flight details yet, so either they didn’t think we are going to win, or they waited until the last minute to book those flights. It’s frustrating, it’s really frustrating.”
Independent Newspapers understands that the Bulls tour group of around 38 people may have to use eight different flights from Johannesburg on Tuesday to get to London.
Some are direct flights, while others would involve flying via Dubai, Doha, Paris and Frankfurt, arriving at different times in the British capital, and then there will still be a two-hour bus ride to Northampton.
The Bulls will have to find a way to replicate their Lyon performance against Northampton, with White pleased with the emphatic response his team provided to last week’s 47-14 loss to Leinster in Dublin as they ran in nine tries.
The Bulls produced some outstanding passages of play on attack, with Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse involved in many of the moves, which saw him deservedly earning the player-ofthe-match award.
But Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday night will be a far cry from a 1.30pm kick-off at a sunny Loftus Versfeld.
“We probably, at times, were a little bit too loose when we could’ve been a bit tighter. But one thing I’m really happy about is that was what Leinster did to us last week,” White said.
“They went up a gear in the second half …
“I’m really happy and proud, but I’m also fully aware that the La Rochelles, Toulouses, Leinsters, Saracens – there’s a reason why they have a star on their chest.
“The way we managed the game in the second half … I was much more pleased with that adult, mature way of understanding that once we got to a point where they had to chase the game, all we had to do was to keep control.
“Northampton are the top side in England, No 1 in the league.
“Playing there when it’s eight o’clock at night when it’s cold, maybe raining, is very different to 1.30pm at Loftus with the sun shining. That is why I say the (team with the) ability to be adaptable in all circumstances is the team that can go on and win this competition.”