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Replacement midfielder Chris Smith capped off a good second half for the Bulls (Gallo Images)
- Jake White didn’t give a stern talk at halftime this time over the Bulls’ moving second-half performance against the Cheetahs on Saturday.
- Instead, the franchise’s rugby director chose to convince his team of the value of relying on his system and it was apparent that they scored 27 unanswered points.
- Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie lamented a performance in which “little fell short.”
One of the hallmarks of the Bulls’ national campaign under Jake White to date has been second-half performances, a feat they repeated in Saturday’s 40-13 Currie Cup win over the Cheetahs at Loftus. .
For once, though, it didn’t require a stern halftime talk from their rugby director to inspire them after they unexpectedly came into the break stuck at 13-all.
“It was interesting. I think the players expected me to kick them,” White said.
“But I didn’t really see the need for that. We didn’t have the ball sometimes and when we did, we definitely created pressure, scoring three or four penalties in a row in one stage. We were tough on them in 22, but he couldn’t always break through.” .
The key, according to White, was simply to trust the system.
27 unanswered points in the last 40 minutes justified the simplicity of the approach.
“I just said let’s get back to what we practice and the things we talk about,” White said.
“It’s really about believing that the things we practice will help us win. The reality is, that’s what good teams do.
“Teams like Leinster, who have dominated PRO14, can have 13 at half time and then they will end up getting a good result because they understand which direction to take from the coaches and leaders.”
The Bulls will definitely see that as yet another example of their growth.
“Last week, we showed great character to win with 14 men against Western Province. This week, we played well in the second half and even reached a point where we were tough for a bonus point in the final five minutes,” White said.
“And we got it done. We’re ticking off all these building blocks. Going forward, we’ll again be looking for a crucial bonus point or we’ll be in a position where we play 14 men. Re-enter at halftime without hitting the straps and Needing to get it right
“Those things go to the memory bank and you gain a lot of confidence.”
In contrast, Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie was decidedly dejected after a day at the office where his troops emerged with little credit.
“There are a lot of things we need to improve. I don’t think a lot of the things we did today were up to par,” he said.
