Jake White and his Bulls are relishing the URC playoffs

Bulls director of rugby Jake White, has called on his players to show maturity and determination in the playoffs of the United Rugby Championship.

The side from the capital city will kick start their URC playoffs journey on Saturday against Italian side Benetton in a quarter-final showdown at Loftus Versfeld (kick-off at 3.30pm).

White has been planning towards the playoff stages for some time, being meticulous in the regular season as his team finished in second place on the URC points table, securing a home quarter-final.

Mature and determined

Now that the playoffs are here, White wants his charges to show their hunger for a maiden URC title.

“This is what we wait for, this is now the playoffs, its three games left,” White said this week.  

“80 minutes times three and you can be champions, and two of those games if you play properly, can be at Loftus. We are not talking about semis and finals; we have created an opportunity for ourselves to be where we are.

“We have to be mature enough and determined enough to make sure whatever we put in in the 18 weeks counts in our favour.” 

‘They’re a good team’

The Bulls will face a Benetton side they took on three weeks ago at Loftus, where they won 56-35. White’s charges ran away with the game but then conceded a large number of points.

Their opponents will also be familiar with the environment and playing conditions, so the Bulls’ mentor wants his players to control their plans for the game.

“We have to control what we can control; we can’t worry about what they are going to do,” White said.

 “We have to do what we have to do, and we need to remember they’re a good team, so we mustn’t go there thinking we are going to run out and go over the top of them.

“They would have learned lessons from the last time they were here too, so we must just control what we can control, and that means we have to come prepared and make sure we give ourselves a chance to win the game.”