Jake White: Revenge narrative is ‘absolute nonsense’

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said the idea that he has based his whole season around getting ‘revenge’ against Glasgow Warriors for beating them in the United Rugby Championship final last season is “absolute nonsense”.

Glasgow’s attack coach Nigel Carolan had told Scottish media earlier in the week that White and the Bulls were “coming with a vendetta” when they play against Glasgow at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday night (kick-off 8.35pm).

Carolan drew on White’s comments that his team had pencilled in this Friday’s date in their calendar as soon as they learned of it.

“Obviously, they’re coming with a vendetta. They’re quite open about that,” Carolan said.

“Jake White alluded to it after Munster that they have a target on our back, and their whole season is really about getting revenge, and getting one up over us on Friday.

“Obviously they’re going to be snorting when they come out because the chip is on their shoulder, trying to get revenge over us.”

‘I’ve never met the man’

After announcing his team for the match, White responded strongly that while his team placed significance on the game, revenge did not factor.

“I don’t know who he [Carolan] is. I’ve never met the man. I have no idea why he would say that. I mean, ‘the whole season is revenge’, well I don’t know,” the coach shook his head.

“I don’t know how he gets to that basis. I don’t coach rugby on revenge. I don’t coach rugby on any of those emotions about ‘we don’t like you, you don’t like us’.”

White said it was all about the Bulls having a chance to measure themselves against the team that won the competition last year.

“[It’s] absolutely nonsense that this is a revenge game, or the season is based on the whole thing.”

Instead, White said the “narrative is very simple”. Just as golfing legend Rory McIlroy won the Masters this year after trying for 14 years – learning much in that time to help him cross the line – the Bulls had learned from their defeats and were eager to measure themselves against the defending champions to see how they have improved before they go into the play-offs of the tournament.

“In sport, that is what it is like. We lost the final, it was not something that we enjoyed – it was at home. It was a massive opportunity and we let it slip. And we always knew we are going to get Glasgow again. It is not a revenge thing, it is just the way sport works.”

Bulls and Glasgow face off for second position

White said the match would draw much interest because it was between teams placed second and third on the URC log, and a bonus-point win could see the Bulls overtake the Scottish side.

The Bulls come off a confidence-building 16–13 win against Munster in Ireland last weekend.

Glasgow come from a tough 14–6 win over Zebre in Italy, though they were thrashed 52–0 by Leinster in the Champions Cup quarter-final in Dublin the week before.

Still, White said their results in recent weeks, or even in the final last year, would not have much bearing on the strong performance he expects from Glasgow.