Bulls boss White a happy man after win against Cardiff

Bulls director of rugby Jake White has praised his side for showing work rate and effort in their 18-12 victory over Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship at the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday night.

The gutsy win took the Bulls to the summit of the URC log, with three wins in four games. What’s also pleasing for the Bulls is that they have managed to win two games on the spin on their overseas tour, which is a difficult feat to achieve in the URC.

Tries from scrumhalf Embrose Papier and winger Sebastian de Klerk, plus an additional two points from flyhalf Chris Smith saw the Bulls lead 12-5 at the break.

In the second half, Smith kicked a penalty to make the score 15-5 but the home side closed the gap to two after a converted try from Rey Lee-Lo. Smith put the game to bed with another three points to give his team the 18-12 win.

‘Proud’

Reflecting on the win, White commended his charges on how they handled the pressure in the second half when Cardiff were on top.

“We were very comfortable without the ball, and the way we scrambled in the end when they made that line break into our 22m and got a turnover, you can’t do anything other than be proud of the fact that there was such a good effort,” said White.

“That’s all about work rate and effort, and as a coach you are happy when you see that at the back end of the game.”

‘Bomb Squad’

The Bulls had a six-two bench, and their ‘Bomb Squad’ of Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Mornay Smith helped in seeing the team home.

“It’s the first time I did a 6-2 bench,” White said.

“One thing I have seen with the Springboks is when you have a bit of composure and experience at the back end of the game, it gives you much more confidence from the coach’s bench. When you put on guys like Ruan Nortje and Elrigh Louw, it looks like there’s a little bit more stability and composure and a little bit of understanding of what they have to do.

“It worked putting those guys there at the back end of the game so they can be there when the pressure is building up.”

The Bulls have one more game on tour against Edinburgh next Friday at the DAM Health Stadium.

“The tour is not over yet. We have got a massive game with Edinburgh with all their Scottish internationals. But at this point, we are obviously chuffed we have won two in a row. We have a bit of momentum going to the next round.”