White: Now we can control our own destiny
THE Bulls may have ended the Currie Cup league phase nine points ahead of everybody else, and with two more wins, but coach Jake White has warned his players that such achievements are “irrelevant” heading into the play-offs.
The Pretoria side held off a late charge from the Cheetahs to win 39-36 at Loftus on Saturday to secure the No 1 position on the log, thereby securing a home semi-final and possible final.
They will face arch rivals Western Province at Loftus on Saturday, while the Sharks will host Griquas.
The fact that they are defending champions is also a factor that White hopes will help his team over the next two weeks, before they begin their United Rugby Championship campaign against Irish giants Leinster in Dublin on September 25.
“I would like to believe that that is going to count in our favour, the fact that we’ve been there and done it. But you also understand in sport, when you haven’t won it – like we didn’t for 10 years, we probably had a burning desire to win it,” White said.
“The challenge for me, the coaches and the leadership group is to make sure that over the next two weeks, we are still alive and can control our destiny.
“I was just saying to the players, whatever happened in the pool stages is irrelevant. We are a little bit down as we let them back in the game there. The game was almost gone.
“But you know what, it didn’t matter. What matters is that you win the next two weeks – that is what you get judged on, how good you are when you get to the semis and the finals.
“We’ve got to be happy that we’ve got two home games, that we control our own destiny, and that the experience that we’ve had – of a couple of guys who have won a Currie Cup – will obviously help the group that hasn’t.”
While White was delighted with the character shown by his team to hit back from 21-14 down in the first half – with impressive young hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who was the Man of the Match, scoring twice from lineout drives – he knows that the Bulls need to shore up their defence as the Cheetahs broke the line almost too easily at times.
With WP embracing an all-out attacking approach in their 35-24 victory over the Sharks on Saturday night, the Cape side are sure to stretch the Bulls defence all over the field.
“If you’re realistic, you’ve got all these youngsters on the field and your captain’s gone off, then you’re not getting things (done) the way you want, it is a bit of a development stage,” White said.