Result against Pumas of no consequence for Bulls as White obviously hopes for return of best XV
The result of their final Currie Cup round-robin match, against the Pumas in Nelspruit on Sunday afternoon, is of no consequence to the Bulls as they are already guaranteed to finish top of the log, and their semi-final is already set to be against the Lions next weekend at Loftus Versfeld, where they will play the final if they beat their Gauteng neighbours.
The Bulls will only name their team for the Pumas clash on Saturday, because they are awaiting the results of Covid tests, which can only be done 48 hours after their last match, which was their win over the Lions in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Apart from hoping that all his players return negative results for Covid, coach Jake White will also be keeping an eye on which players have now completed their return-to-play protocols after being infected with the virus. He obviously wants to field his best possible XV in the semi-final next weekend so, ideally, White would like those first-choice players who were unable to return against the Lions in midweek to get some game time against the Pumas. Given that it has now been more than three weeks since a large chunk of starters saw competitive action, match-fitness is going to be a crucial part of the Bulls’ planning.
The backline has been particularly hard hit with Cornal Hendricks, Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse all still waiting for the all-clear at this stage. But the performance of Stravino Jacobs, the 31-year-old Tongan international, this week has provided White with another definite option on the wing or even at centre.
“I was happy with Stravino Jacobs, in his first start, to play the way he did was very pleasing. We can certainly build on that going forward,” White said after the win over the Lions.
Jan Uys at lock is another player who showed that he could play an important role at this late stage of the season.
“We did struggle a bit in the lineouts against the Lions, but we had a hooker [Schalk Erasmus] who has just come out of the U21s. But Jan Uys played his first game and he showed how good he is, you must be to play 60 times for Brive. Jan is not here for big money but he really wants to play for the Bulls. He’s a hidden gem, very positive and hardworking.
“How we cut our cloth is going to be very important and I’m very thankful for guys like Jan, especially for their contribution off the field. I’m very happy he got the chance to play in a winning side,” White said.