Bulls boss Jake White hails win over Sharks as one of their best

Bulls director of rugby Jake White has hailed his side’s performance in their 44-10 win over the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday as one of the best during his tenure.

Many anticipated the clash at Loftus Versfeld to be a hard-fought battle between the two rugby giants as they were both loaded with Springbok internationals. However, that was not the case, and White’s team completely dominated the Sharks.

A brace of tries from No 13 Stedman Gans and Akker van Merwe plus single scores by winger Kurt-Lee Arendse and captain Elrigh Louw, as well as 14 points from Johan Goosen’s boot, saw the Bulls put on a clinical performance in attack.

The hosts were also solid in defence and the set-pieces. White’s team countered everything the Sharks threw at them.

The Bulls have had plenty of impressive wins under White, with the URC semi-final 27-26 victory over Irish province Leinster topping the lot.

Saturday’s bonus-point win, which saw the Bulls move to third place on the log, is one that White regards as one of the best performances under his watch.

All-round effort

“It would be close, to be honest, it was all around,” White said during his post-match press conference.

“The scrum was strong and the variation in our attack was good too. The transition from defence into attack was also outstanding. That was one area that I’m really happy about,” White said after the match.

“It was [a good performance] for many reasons. One is we have been disrupted by many injuries, and defensively I thought it was one of our best performances in a long time.

“We managed the game well. They started really well, and I thought ‘here we go’, but as I said to the players, you have to be really proud about how they kept their composure and made it difficult for the Sharks. Defensively, we put them under pressure and they knocked the ball on many times due to pressure.”

Gans shines at centre

In a game that was packed with stars, Bulls outside centre Gans was one of the standout players. Many had anticipated that he would vacate the No 13 jersey for Canan Moodie but White kept faith in him, and he repaid it with a strong display.

“When Stedman is playing the way he is, it’s very difficult to leave him out,” White said.

“In some ways, maybe he expected when Canan came back he would fall out. I can’t talk for Stedman but he’s probably relieved his playing so well in the backline. As long as he keeps playing like that, there’s no reason for me to not select him.”

The Bulls now shift their attention to the Champions Cup. They host English side Saracens on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.