Bulls mentally ready for big URC challenge against Stormers

Bulls director of rugby Jake White says they are in a good place mentally ahead of their United Rugby Championship derby against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night.

The North-South derby is one of the biggest matches on the South African sporting calendar. The game pits two of the biggest unions in the country.

The Bulls, however, have not had a good run in the fixture recently. White and his charges have not beaten the Stormers in the URC, having lost all six matches they have played since the inception of the competition.

The Pretoria side have targeted this game and did not travel with their regular players to France last week for their encounter against Lyon in the Champions Cup.

‘A great mindset’

The group that remained in the country, including the likes of Springbok players Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Johan Goosen, and loose forwards Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom (among others), worked closely with the team’s sports psychologist Dr. Henning Gericke to get them in a good mental state for the clash with the Stormers.

“Our team psychologist Henning Gericke says we are in a wonderful place. We have got a really great mindset and the players are really looking forward to the game,” said White.

“He spent last week working with them while we were away, spent some time with them talking about the next block of games, and he’s very confident. And I trust him enough to know he has got good a gut feeling for where the team is at the moment.”

Targeting a turnaround

The Bulls are in their best position to get one over their rivals. They have been one of the form teams in the URC and have a good squad this season.

Based on his experience in sport, White is confident if they can get their act together they can get over their Stormers hoodoo this weekend.

“It’s a big game, but what happened last year or the year before is irrelevant,” said the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach.

“You can never worry about what happened before. We haven’t beaten them in a while but that tells you the tide is eventually going to turn.

“I have been in sports long enough to know, it doesn’t matter what sport you’re in, eventually things turn around. Hopefully this weekend we play well and get a good performance.”