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Marco van Staden of the Bulls during the Super Rugby Unlocked match between Vodacom Bulls and Tafel Lager Griquas at Loftus Versfeld on October 10, 2020 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Lee Warren / Gallo Images)
- Bulls mentor Jake White believes his charges passed a major character test in their nervous win over Griquas on Saturday.
- The former Bok coach praised his opponents’ ability to stop his team’s momentum and how they kept fighting.
- But White is also on a voyage of discovery about what his players can bring to the table and is satisfied that, under pressure, they can win “ugly.”
It was by no means classic, particularly after the standards they set two weeks ago on Super Fan Saturday, but Jake White was still happy that his Bulls passed a great “test of character” in their first Super Rugby Unlocked match against Griquas. Saturday.
The 30-23 score at Loftus clearly exemplified the performance of the home team, one in which they were subjected to severe tests but also had superior ammunition for a positive result.
“Yes, it was a good test of character for us,” said the Bulls’ rugby director.
“People expected the game to be a lot easier than it was and Griquas is to be given credit for the way they stopped our momentum, the way they chased and showed fighting spirit and the way they played.”
White troops had to launch a substantial comeback after falling 0-10 behind in the first half and only took the lead for the first time in the 63rd minute.
“If I could turn things around, I probably would have liked to have this result against the Sharks two weeks ago (where they won 49-28) and accumulate five record points tonight against Griquas,” he said frankly.
“But sometimes when you’re under pressure, you see different things. It’s also a period for me where I’m still learning about my players. Yes, I know what they can do, but under pressure I need to see how they react.” .
“With four minutes before the break and 3-10 down, suddenly we were 10-10. Scoring before halftime and after or upon death, those are moments of the championship. I’m still determining how the players fit in, what their attitudes are like. and how they add to the combinations.
“It’s our second game together, but I’m very happy with how the players came back. They showed that they can win games when it’s not easy. You also have to win ugly.”
Another encouraging development for White would have been that his charges, despite his rebelliousness, never seemed scared as he struggled to get ahead and eventually build a sufficient buffer.
“At halftime I told the guys to take advantage of their experience,” he said.
“We also agreed that we just needed to be a little more direct. Sometimes we played a little bit from start to finish. In fact, at some stages it even felt like we were playing at being sensitive. We saw with Marco van Staden’s bursts. , Elrigh Louw and Jason Jenkins said it was the right way to stay direct. “
