Jake okay to mix & match

Like an aeronautics expert trying to ensure take-off happens at exactly the right time, Bulls director of rugby Jake White (above) will be using the next two weekends of Currie Cup action to try and ensure his team peak at the business end of the United Rugby Championship (URC).

The Bulls have already sealed a quarterfinal place in Europe, but their match against Ospreys in Swansea on 20 May could decide whether they will have crucial home ground advantage for that playoff match.

Basically White is looking for four straight wins in the URC to take the title.

But his desire to win a hattrick of Currie Cup crowns is also great, so he was quite happy yesterday to announce a Bulls team that is a half-andhalf mix of URC and Currie Cup players for their match against Griquas this evening at Loftus Versfeld.

“It’s predominantly URC guys that I want to give gametime to, but it’s a double-edged sword because we take the Currie Cup seriously as well,” White said.

“There will be another rotation next week for our match against the Golden Lions when we give some of these players the week off.

“But we can’t afford to give the URC guys two weeks off before such a vital game as the Ospreys one, it’s absolutely critical to try and get a home playoff. So it’s another hit-out for them.

“It’s an opportunity to try and get right the things we want to do at the back end of the URC and this team is the sort of ideal balance you’d want every week,” White said.

A team like Griquas can be lethal if you allow them a foothold in the game, so White said starting and finishing better is a work in progress for his team.

Catch all the action from last night’s Currie Cup games on