The lack of established international rugby players in their ranks has seen the Bulls find themselves in a position of disadvantage in their attempt of fighting for the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup titles.
The Bulls are associated with unprecedented success as the most successful team in SA. They have won three Super Rugby titles, in 2007, 2009 and 2010, plus 24 Currie Cup titles in their cabinet.
Since taking charge of the operations in 2020, the director of rugby at the Bulls Jake White, led the team to dominate the domestic scene during the Covid-19 era, winning two Currie Cup titles and a Super Rugby Unlocked trophy. He steered the team to the finals of the Rainbow Cup and last season’s URC.
Heading to this season’s URC and debut campaign of the Champions Cup, there was an expectation that the Pretoria side would compete for the honours. That’s because of the standard they have set as a franchise. It brings plenty of expectations.
White, who won the 2007 Rugby World Cup as the Springbok coach, warned against that notion. He said it would be difficult to be competitive in both competitions as teams were full of internationals and the standard was high; the expectations were maintained.
To find a way around being competitive on both fronts, White separated his squad into two, during the festive period we saw the “A” team being prioritised for the URC and the “B” team being given a run in the Champions Cup.
White is very meticulous in his planning, experienced and somewhat of a genius, however, the balancing act of hitting the ground running in two competitions is proving to be difficult. Sure, the Bulls will make it to the knockout stages but will they be in the final stages of the competitions, doubt it.
The main reason they will fall short is that they don’t have players with Test rugby experience. They do have players who have the potential to be great internationals, the likes of Ruan Nortje, Johan Grobbelaar, Elrigh Louw, Canan Moodie, and Kurt-Lee Arendse, but they are not ready yet.
The Bulls with their “A” team, crumbled when they met Stormers and Sharks teams that are loaded with Springbok players. They were overwhelmed and could not keep up with the physicality and intensity they brought.
The Stormers know how to produce international players; the likes of Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff, and Damian Willemse are some of their products, meanwhile, the Sharks have the budget to buy them, and they did so when they got the services of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi. The Sharks and Stormers having experienced Bok players have made them real contenders for the URC and Champions Cup.
The Loftus Versfeld-based outfit, on the other hand, has made acquisitions of players who have Bok caps like Lionel Mapoe, Johan Goosen and Nizaam Carr but they fall short of making the team real contenders.
During their wins in the Super Rugby in the 2000s, the Bulls boasted Bok greats like Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez, and Bryan Habana in their locker. If they are to be competitive and push to win another multination competition title, they need to have established international rugby players.
White’s team will look to return to winning ways on Friday when they take on Welsh side the Dragons away in the URC at the Rodney Parade (9.35pm).
Limping Bulls hope to fight back in international competitions
History of success is behind White’s team
Image: Lee Warren
The lack of established international rugby players in their ranks has seen the Bulls find themselves in a position of disadvantage in their attempt of fighting for the United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup titles.
The Bulls are associated with unprecedented success as the most successful team in SA. They have won three Super Rugby titles, in 2007, 2009 and 2010, plus 24 Currie Cup titles in their cabinet.
Since taking charge of the operations in 2020, the director of rugby at the Bulls Jake White, led the team to dominate the domestic scene during the Covid-19 era, winning two Currie Cup titles and a Super Rugby Unlocked trophy. He steered the team to the finals of the Rainbow Cup and last season’s URC.
Heading to this season’s URC and debut campaign of the Champions Cup, there was an expectation that the Pretoria side would compete for the honours. That’s because of the standard they have set as a franchise. It brings plenty of expectations.
White, who won the 2007 Rugby World Cup as the Springbok coach, warned against that notion. He said it would be difficult to be competitive in both competitions as teams were full of internationals and the standard was high; the expectations were maintained.
To find a way around being competitive on both fronts, White separated his squad into two, during the festive period we saw the “A” team being prioritised for the URC and the “B” team being given a run in the Champions Cup.
White is very meticulous in his planning, experienced and somewhat of a genius, however, the balancing act of hitting the ground running in two competitions is proving to be difficult. Sure, the Bulls will make it to the knockout stages but will they be in the final stages of the competitions, doubt it.
The main reason they will fall short is that they don’t have players with Test rugby experience. They do have players who have the potential to be great internationals, the likes of Ruan Nortje, Johan Grobbelaar, Elrigh Louw, Canan Moodie, and Kurt-Lee Arendse, but they are not ready yet.
The Bulls with their “A” team, crumbled when they met Stormers and Sharks teams that are loaded with Springbok players. They were overwhelmed and could not keep up with the physicality and intensity they brought.
The Stormers know how to produce international players; the likes of Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff, and Damian Willemse are some of their products, meanwhile, the Sharks have the budget to buy them, and they did so when they got the services of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi. The Sharks and Stormers having experienced Bok players have made them real contenders for the URC and Champions Cup.
The Loftus Versfeld-based outfit, on the other hand, has made acquisitions of players who have Bok caps like Lionel Mapoe, Johan Goosen and Nizaam Carr but they fall short of making the team real contenders.
During their wins in the Super Rugby in the 2000s, the Bulls boasted Bok greats like Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Fourie du Preez, and Bryan Habana in their locker. If they are to be competitive and push to win another multination competition title, they need to have established international rugby players.
White’s team will look to return to winning ways on Friday when they take on Welsh side the Dragons away in the URC at the Rodney Parade (9.35pm).
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