Bulls need to filter emotion in final league outing

In a week of raw emotion, the Vodacom Bulls know they will have to take the field on Saturday against the Dragons and find a way of filtering that into a performance that is befitting of their fallen teammate Cornal Hendricks.

Hendricks died on Wednesday night of a suspected heart attack, and his death loomed large over the Bulls over the past day or so, so much so that training was shortened on Thursday and players found a way to pay their respects on Friday morning.

But come Saturday, their last fixture in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has to happen, and will be preceded by a moment’s silence for Hendricks, followed by a minute’s applause to honour his memory.

That emotion may be a good or bad thing, depending on how the Bulls handle it on the field. Hendricks was a popular team member before he departed for Boland last September, and coach Jake White knows all too well it is perhaps a time to say less rather than more.

“Look I’m sure it will be emotional, it’s always like that in sport. So much so that we didn’t train yesterday,” White said on Friday.

“You look at it and don’t realise how long some of the players have known Cornal. Willie (Le Roux) for instance started with him at Boland, and the Cheetahs, played test rugby together. You don’t think it affects a guy like Willie, because he is a new guy in the Bulls’ setup, but it affected even him.

“We couldn’t train yesterday, it was very tough. But then again, the emotions will be big tomorrow, whether you talk about it, don’t talk about it. Whether you put a picture up, it will be a tough thing for players anyway because of the fact he was so well liked.”

PLAYING FOR CORNAL

White did say that the memory of Hendricks may spur the Bulls on in the rest of the URC, and he may use it to unite the team in their common goal when they get to the playoffs.

“Winston Churchill said that out of adversity you can get opportunity. So who knows, it was something we needed but sometimes adversity can take you to another level. We’ve been close many times, but maybe that feeling of adversity, of what it is like, can help.

“Let's be fair, I always say to the youngsters, we think because they are professional players and they earn a lot of money and are seen on TV that they are supposedly completely whole when it comes to those sorts of things, they are only still young.

“I’m not going to make a big thing for tomorrow, I might use it as something we need for motivation because it might help us going forward, as it has other sporting teams.

“It made me realise yesterday when they didn’t feel up to training, you take a lot of things for granted. Being a player being spoilt as we are spoilt - maybe a reality check like that makes them relook where they are as rugby players. That is part of my job as well, to get them to know where they are and what they are doing is not the real world. It is not how the real world operates. It is something we don’t want but sometimes that reality check is something teams need.”

White said while the Bulls are overwhelming favourites against the last placed Dragons side, he wanted to see certain combinations performing ahead of the playoff rounds that start in a fortnight’s time.

“Combinations are important, that is why I picked a team like I did. I said to them just understanding what we want to do on the field where we are is important, because when we get to these knock-out games, we are going to have to be really accurate about what we want to do where on the field.

“Just a better understanding of what we want to do as a group and then get cohesion as good as we can.”

In team news, while White kept most of the same side that beat Cardiff last week at Loftus, he did rest some players ahead of the playoffs. Still, the side is as strong as is fitting for the game, with forgotten flanker Kuyenzeka Nama Xaba getting a start in a very well-balanced loose trio alongside Ruan Nortje and Cameron Hanekom.

On the wing Sergeal Petersen comes in for Canan Moodie, who moves to 13. David Kriel shifts from 13 to 12 with Harold Vorster falling out of the 23 this week. Akker van der Merwe and Mornay Smith move into the front row with Johan Grobbelaar on the bench this week and Wilco Louw off as he has the flu.

TEAM SELECTION

VODACOM BULLS: Willie le Roux, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Sergeal Petersen, Keagan Johannes, Zak Burger; Cameron Hanekom, Ruan Nortje (captain), Kuyenzeka Nama Xaba, JF van Heerden, Cobus Wiese, Mornay Smith, Akker van der Merwe, Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

REPLACEMENTS: Johan Grobbelaar, Simphiwe Matanzima, Francois Klopper, Jannes Kirsten, Marcell Coetzee, Bernard van der Linde, Stedman Gans, Devon Williams

DRAGONS RFC: Angus O’Brien (C-CAPT), Harry Rees-Weldon, Joe Westwood, Aneurin Owen, Huw Anderson, Lloyd Evans, Rhodri Williams, Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths, Brodie Coghlan, Chris Coleman, Joe Davies, Ben Carter (C-CAPT), Ryan Woodman, Shane Lewis-Hughes, Aaron Wainwright

REPLACEMENTS: Lewis Morgan, Jamie Hughes, Paula Latu, Barny Langton-Cryer, Evan Minto, Che Hope, Ewan Rosser, Ashton Hewitt