Castres a ‘massive learning test’ for young Bulls players

Bulls director of rugby Jake White says his charges need to roll up their sleeves and match the enthusiasm and intensity of their opponents when they take on Castres Olympique in the Champions Cup on Saturday (kick-off 10pm).

The Bulls are on a three-game losing streak and could lose all chance of progressing in the tournament if they fail to win and other results do not go their way.

Still, white left many proven senior players out of his squad to travel to France. He said this decision was based on plans he made earlier in the season to rotate players, and the benefit the experience of a game like that would have on his younger atheletes.

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Bulls look to negate Castres home advantage

White said all French teams pride themselves on winning at home and Castres are no different.

“From my experience, it is a small and intimate stadium [Pierre-Fabre Stadium]. Supporters get behind their team and make it uncomfortable for visiting players,” he said.

“It will be a massive learning test for some of these guys.”

He said the French people love their rugby so while the stadium only had a capacity of 12 500, this was a sizeable chunk of the city’s population.

“It is a very difficult place to play at at the best of times.”

Bulls must match enthusiasm and intensity of Castres

The Bulls boss said Castres may be seen as a minnows side when compared with Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne and Racing 92 but they have won the Top 14 before and cannot be trifled with.

“We have to match the enthusiasm and intensity that they bring. Where they are good towards us we have to find a way to stop them from playing the way they want to play.”

He said playing at 9pm local time means there will be dew on the grass, making the ground soft. This may affect the game but the Bulls will have to adapt.

“We are going to have to roll up our sleeves and take the physicality that they will chuck at us. We must play however we need to to get a result.”

It has been six weeks since the Bulls won a game (Connacht, 28–14 in the URC).