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Bulls have much to address as they regroup

rugby17 February 2025 05:00
By:Brenden Nel
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Jake White @ Gallo images

Is it just a mental block, or is it something deeper?

That’s the question that Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White has to assess this morning as he and his coaching staff start their review after their 29-20 loss to the Hollywoodbets Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

While losing to their coastal rivals is not a train smash, it is a game that brought back some of the issues the Bulls have been focusing on sorting out this season - allowing teams back into the game and not planting a knockout punch when they could.

Because while the Sharks sucker punched the Bulls on Saturday with three tries from Bulls’ mistakes that turned the game in the second half, the Bulls could - and should (given that they were in their home fortress) have used the chances they created to seal the game for themselves in the second half.

White lamented afterwards that the team can’t just be known for “scrumming and mauling well” - and made a reference to the Bulls of the 80s and 90s that carried this tag well. If anything this Bulls team has transformed into a side that can score tries from anywhere, but on Saturday in the second half they looked as if they had little clue on how to penetrate, and then shot themselves in the foot with one-off runners and handling mistakes.

HAPPENED BEFORE

And if it hadn’t happened before it would have been easier to forgive.

But many of those 30 000-odd at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday would remember a very similar game in Durban in December where the Sharks scored the winning try from a counter attack after the Bulls dominated.

And they will also remember a Currie Cup semifinal where the Sharks went down to 12 men and the Bulls couldn’t find a way to score, eventually losing the game in extra time.

White knows it is something they need to address - the loss wasn’t fatal in terms of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log, where the Bulls still occupy third - but it did rob them of an opportunity to pass Glasgow into second and set themselves up for a run to the playoffs to be in position to host a home playoff game.

White, to his credit, didn’t shy away from the elephant in the room. And said it would be addressed this week.

“I mean, it's the second time we've played the Sharks with 13 and 12 men and we looked as

though we didn't understand that we had numerical advantage. So, we'll have to obviously sit

with them during the week and just go through the scenarios of where I think we could have

been a little bit smarter,” he admitted.

LACK OF PACE

One of the biggest concerns for White was the lack of pace that the Bulls showed on Saturday - once the Sharks made linebreaks the Bulls were left floundering and often looked like they were the lumbering team caught by altitude rather than their coastal opposition.

“They’ve got sevens rugby players at the back. Once they made line breaks, it wasn't like we

could catch them. And generally, what's happened against other teams is we've had the pace to either scramble and catch them from behind. If you remember the one time we got put away and Devon got caught by Yaw Penxe as well from the side. That generally hasn't happened.

“So, they scored long-range tries and the reason for that is because they outpaced us.

There's no substitute for speed. That's the frustrating thing because once they got

behind us on a line break, we've generally been good enough to catch them from behind, you

know. But we didn't do it today.

“So, we have to obviously have a look and see how we're going to be able to stop teams from

making line breaks and scoring against us.”

CAN’T PLANT KNOCKOUT BLOW

White added that it was a concern that the Bulls couldn’t seem to plant a knockout blow when they had the chance - same as in the game against the Stormers in Cape Town.

“Of course, it's a concern. I mean, just before halftime, we kicked it out three times into the corner there and then they turned them all over at the end there again. It's the third maul in succession.

"And generally, what happens is you would think that after three, you're going to put them away. And we didn't. And they turned it over at the end there.

“They stopped our maul. We knocked it on. Same as the other one, five metres from the line in the second half.

“We also, again, had an opportunity there. Not once, twice, maybe three times and we didn't finish it off. So, it is a concern because when you play against these teams, they don't give you freebies.

“When you get there, you've got to take that chance.”

The Bulls will regroup for their return derby against the Emirates Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and its clear that while White admitted the changeroom was “hurting” after the Sharks loss, there would need to be some hard words in the review this week.

Otherwise the Lions may catch them in the same way as the Sharks did and that would be a massive blow for their campaign.

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