‘It’s going to go into the mud’: Bulls pack to scrum hard at the death with rain expected

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said he selected a heavy forward pack on the bench for their United Rugby Championship (URC) match against the Stormers at Loftus, expecting they would need to be formidable in the scrum with rain in the forecast.

Speaking to media on the eve of Saturday’s game (kick-off 5pm), White said he expected the likes of Akker van der Merwe, Francois Klopper, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ruan Vermaak and Celimpilo Gumede to make a difference with their weight in the late game after a wet ball led to more knock-ons than usual.

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Bulls have best scrum in URC

The Bulls boss also told the media he expected the Stormers to play much as they always do—namely, with fearless attacking rugby—while he would rely on his side’s strength in the scrum, which proved dominant in their first north-south derby, a 33–32 victory for the Bulls in Cape Town.

“It’s an idea that I have that it’s going to go into the mud… I will have a heavy pack which might help us,” White said.

“Our scrum is statistically the best in the competition. I just hope we play our best rugby because we haven’t really ever clicked against the Stormers for whatever reason. Hopefully, tomorrow is the day we click.”

He said while their line-out had been poor a month or two ago, it was now firing on all cylinders as hooker Johan Grobbelaar was now consistently throwing to the same locks.

The Stormers have won seven of the nine URC matches played between the sides but the Bulls are currently in better form with the Capetonians now on a four-game losing streak.

Stormers ‘have got their backs against the wall’

“The Stormers have got their backs against the wall, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. I know what’s coming. They will be as determined as Lions were last week,” White added.

He said whether it is sunny or wet, the Stormers will play the same way that always do because it works for them.

“They’ve got that style where they can offload and they can run out of their own half. We saw that they scored five tries against us last time, and one from a turnover that was deep in their own half.”

Despite saying this, White said the weather would not win the game for the Bulls. They could only prepare the best they could for the conditions that were expected.