‘Underdog’ Bulls hope for the best against Leinster
Vodacom Bulls director of rugby Jake White says the match against Leinster has the potential to be 'one of those great matches'.
POLOKWANE – The Vodacom Bulls will face Leinster in their United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final matchup tomorrow night (June 10).
Bulls director of rugby Jake White addressed the media earlier this afternoon (June 9) and admitted that his side faces a tough encounter away from home.
Leinster was the first team the Bulls faced at the start of the URC – a match they lost 31-3.
“It is important that we start the match well as they score most of their points in the opening 25 minutes. We cannot afford to play catch-up rugby because then it becomes extremely difficult to beat them. We have a different team than last time we faced them and now have settled combinations. The match is a good benchmark to see what we have learned over the past few months,” White explained.
White relishes the underdog tag
He did not shy away from the fact that the Bulls are seen as the ‘underdogs’ in the match. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves because we know it will be tough as they are a quality side with a lot of experience. The great thing about sport and probably the reason why a lot of people support it, is that you always have a chance. You have to believe in yourselves otherwise it will never happen,” White said and explained that the match has the potential to be ‘one of those great matches’ that will be remembered for years to come.
He said the hosts are a good benchmark for sports teams and have showed great dominance over the years. “Everyone wants to work towards their setup, from the academy to the first team. You cannot look at a lot of matches to see how you can beat them at their home. I am a realist and don’t want to get ahead of myself but I know this is probably one of our biggest matches yet as a group,” White added.
Expectance from the match
He explained he has a lot of confidence in his group of players and that they too are confident they can win the match. “In knockout matches this group seems to step up and do well. We have enough reason to be positive as we head into the match.”
White expects a lot of kicking in the match and noted that his players’ discipline will be key. “They don’t really have weaknesses and we need to play well and take our chances.”
Show your support
Bulls president Willem Strauss said it is a big feat to play in the semi-final. “By the start of January we were 15th on the log and we showed great heart to be here. They are an incredible team with great history and great depth. We are, however, playing good rugby at the moment and as the season progressed, we grew stronger in a lot of aspects of the game.”
He is excited about the match and heaped praise on the Blue Bulls’ culture. “We have established a good culture within our teams . We continue to get ways to win matches even if we are up against it like last week against the Sharks. The match will be one of our biggest challenges but we are ready for them.”
Strauss urged supporters to back them and show their support by wearing their blue jerseys. “Let’s paint social media blue tomorrow! Put on your Vodacom Bulls support kit and share your photos on all the platforms! Our team feeds from your energy,” he exclaimed.
Kick-off for the match at the RDS Arena is scheduled for 20:35 (SA time).
