Bulls mentor Jake White warns Dragons clash won’t be easy win

Bulls director of rugby, Jake White, says the team’s United Rugby Championship clash with the Dragons on Saturday at Rodney Parade (9.35pm) won’t be a walk in the park.

The game will pit two sides that are on either ends of the URC points table against one another. The Bulls, who are in second place with 40 points, are the favourites going into the clash, while the Dragons, second from bottom with 11 points, are the underdogs.

No easy games in the URC

Despite being favourites going into the match, White is proceeding with caution and guarding against complacency. Last year, the Bulls lost 37-28 to fellow Welsh side Scarlets when they were expected to win the match.

“We went to Wales and lost to the Scarlets, and everyone was expecting us to win. There’s a lesson we would have taken out of that visit to Wales,” said White when speaking to the media ahead of his side’s departure for their European tour.

“One thing that has happened in the URC, is there’s no game where you can generally think I’m just going to arrive and win. They (Dragons) would have had three weeks to prepare as well.

“To be fair, look at how close these games have been against teams that people expect to be beaten. You look at Benetton and how they have done, other teams would have thought that’s a game they could target, and they’ve lost it. I have no doubt they will be well prepared as any team we have played against.”

With the Bulls facing the Dragons this weekend and Irish side Leinster next Friday, they are expected to travel with a strong team to Europe.

Louw in, Hanekom out

White kept the squad heading to Europe close to his chest but revealed that Elrigh Louw will be ready to play on tour after recovering from a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, youngster Cameron Hanekom will remain in Pretoria as he nurses his hamstring, with the Bulls hoping he will be ready for their Champions Cup last 16 clash with Lyon on April 6.

“Elrigh will go with us; he’s probably not ready for the first game. I mean, he probably is if I need him to play in a one-off game. Cameron won’t tour with us; we’ll leave him at home. It’s his hamstring; it’s taking a bit longer (to heal),” said White.

“He wouldn’t be ready even if we wanted to risk him. Hammies are (vital) for a player like him who’s got pace. It would be wrong of us to push him too quickly.”