White’s big gamble pays dividends, demands applause
Jake White’s Bulls won for a third time in six days across two competitions — and that demands applause. White, some would say, gambled big in entrusting the same group of players to beat Munster in the United Rugby Championship last Saturday night, front the table-topping Sharks four days later in the Currie Cup and then two nights later dismantle the Welsh Scarlets with a nine-try demolition.
The Scarlets were down seven international players and reportedly had many players unavailable through injury, but the weakened nature of the Scarlets line-up should not detract from a performance that made a statement to those up north that the South African presence in the competition will prove telling in time.
This South African presence is unlikely to translate to a title this season, given the disjointed nature of the schedule, the Covidenforced postponements and the belated hosting of matches in SA.
Irish provincial giants Leinster remain the favourites to win the title, as they should have the luxury of home play-offs in Dublin and also a match-day squad featuring the core of the current Irish national team. The 2022/2023 season will be when the South African trio of Bulls, Stormers and Sharks turn it on.
I fear for the Lions and it needs an overhaul in the coaching and playing squad for them to threaten a top-eight-place in the next season or two, let alone to be talked up as potential champions.
It isn’t an impossible task for the Lions. They’ve been in this position before, when they were bulleted from Super Rugby and sent back to domestic rugby to build a team that, on reintroduction to Super Rugby, would play in three successive finals, including hosting the Crusaders in Johannesburg.
The Sharks have made big name signings and the Stormers are said to be in the market for a couple of current Springboks playing abroad.
The Bulls haven’t got any players in the current Springboks set-up and on balance of what we’ve seen this year, it is only looseforward Elrigh Louw and captain Marcel Coetzee who could force a rethink from the national selectors.
However, White and recently appointed Currie Cup coach Gert Smal have built a player base good enough to win domestic titles and be competitive in the URC.
White, a rugby traditionalist, has the utmost respect for the history of the Currie’Cup.
He associates prestige with SA s oldest and grandest competition and he takes great pride in the Bulls having won the Currie Cup for the past two seasons, with both wins coming last year because of Covid-related rescheduling.
White was never going to dismiss the Currie Cup as a secondary campaign to that of the URC and despite the Currie Cup being played in a parallel universe to the URC, the Bulls rugby boss has ensured his best players would influence the march towards a third successive Currie Cup title.
The Bulls have also managed their home success, which over the past three seasons has been 80%, without the luxury of crowds.
Since returning to SA after a decade of coaching in Australia, France and Japan, White has restored the Bulls as a South African centre of rugby excellence.
He has also respected all that was positive historically (and from a rugby perspective) when it comes to the Currie Cup and he has challenged his players’ mindsets to show what is possible.
White, when I asked him earlier in the week if his players would have the legs to play on Wednesday night and Friday night, said two intense training sessions on a Wednesday and Thursday would be more taxing.
And after the 57-12 Bulls win, you won’t get anyone within the Bulls squad arguing this view.
Bulls, Stormers and Sharks will turn the heat on in the 2022/2023 season