Bulls coach Jake White aims to keep players sharp with friendly matches

Bulls director of rugby Jake White says the union are lining up friendly matches to give players game time so they can be match-fit when needed at the business end of the season.

The Pretoria-based side have managed to put themselves in a position where they can have deep runs in the United Rugby Championship and the Champions Cup. White’s charges have already secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup where they will face Lyon in the last 16 at Loftus Versfeld on April 6.

Meanwhile, in the URC, they are steadily making progress and building momentum as they are in third place on the points table with 35 points following their bonus point win over the Lions this past weekend.

The Bulls have managed to utilise their squad to perfection this season; they have used over 40 players. Heading to the climax of the season, White knows he’ll need every player in his dressing room to show up.

Huge turnout in Modimolle

To make sure those who didn’t play against the Lions at the weekend are not rusty, the Bulls played a friendly match last week Friday against the Valke in Modimolle in Limpopo in front of a massive crowd.

They won the match 45-14 with the playing squad including the likes of Nizaam Carr, Cyle Brink, Khutha Mchunu, Chris Smith, Cornal Hendricks and a host of fringe players. White elaborated on the importance of the game.

“I need them to get game time because basically from March we literally play every Saturday if we stay alive in every competition, almost until June,” White said.

“So, I need those guys to have game time. Whatever work we put in, in terms of how we exit, attack and how we do our set piece, I would like those players to take the learnings to use it in a game situation,” he said.

More games to come

White hinted that more controlled friendly games are lined up, with the Bulls XV primed to play a curtain raiser against either Kenya or Namibia before the North-South derby against the Stormers on March 2.

“I can’t emphasise this enough that these games are important, and there’s going to be a lot more we play,” White said.

“There’s going to be a curtain raiser when we play the Stormers, we are hoping to play either Kenya or Namibia. So, those guys will play another game and that will just help me get a little bit more,” he said.

The games are an opportunity for players to play for their contracts, according to White.

“There’s a lot of guys finishing up contracts in June, so I also need to know whether or not we are going to keep them. Whether they have grown or not.”