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Bulls boss Jake White says while they are hurting, "no one is blaming anyone", and they are looking at positives they can take going forward.
The Bulls had some powerful drives against the Sharks at Loftus. Picture: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
The Bulls are hurting following their tough loss to the Sharks at home this last weekend but director of rugby Jake White said they have to draw on the upside of that hurt and learn what they can do better before their next games.
The Bulls lost 29–19 at Loftus on Saturday, dropping to number three on the United Rugby Championship’s (URC) South African shield log.
They contended well in the first half and shortly after the break, and were 12–10 up before the Sharks scored three unanswered tries between the 55th and 71st minutes that took the game away from the Pretoria outfit.
Next, the Bulls host the Lions this weekend, Stormers, Leinster and Zebre in the URC before their next away game to Aviron Bayonnais in the Challenge Cup on 5 April.
Bulls see the upside of the hurt
“We know we are hurting. I saw in the changeroom, [players] are not happy. They don’t like losing at home,” White said.
“But it won’t define them because they’ve lost games in seasons past and still reached the play-offs.”
He said the “upside” to the hurt shows the loss means something to his players.
“They know they had an opportunity to jump ahead of the rest of the teams in the conference.”
He said “no one is blaming anyone”. Rather, there is much for the Bulls to improve on collectively.
“We have to get to work and we have to find a way selection-wise, gameplan-wise, and accuracy-wise of making sure we are prepared for the weekend.”
White will not be making big changes to the squad
The Bulls boss said when the emotion settles he will look at picking a team that will follow on from their bonus-point 35–22 win over the Lions in Johannesburg last month.
Still, he will not make extensive personnel changes following the Sharks defeat.
“You still have to keep cohesive combinations and still build on the things you did well,” White added.
“Our scrum and mauling were outstanding. Lineout we lost one or two vital balls. In the end, we scored a try when we were dead and buried. I know they did too but it could have quite easily gone the other way.
“Those are the positives you can build on.”
Bulls’ next four URC fixtures
- v Lions at Loftus: 22 February — kick-off 2pm
- v Stormes at Loftus: 1 March — kick-off 5pm
- v Leinster at Loftus: 22 March — kick-off 5pm
- v Zebre at Loftus: 29 March — kick-off 2.45pm
ALSO READ: ‘They outpaced us’: White says Bulls can’t only be known for forward strength
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