Ken Borland

Not changing a winning side used to be a mantra in rugby, but seasoned Bulls coach Jake White knows that a constant reliance on certain players could cause problems further down the line, which is why he has made eight changes to the team that registered an incredible win, with 14 men, last weekend over Western Province for their Currie Cup match against the Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Regulars such as wing Travis Ismaiel, scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl, lock Ruan Nortje and tighthead Trevor Nyakane are all being rested, while White said captain Duane Vermeulen will hopefully be given time off over the Christmas period. White made a point of saying at Thursday’s team announcement though that he is wary of the Cheetahs, and Van Zyl, Nortje and Nyakane are all on the bench should the Bulls get into trouble.

But with the impressive David Kriel moving to wing to replace Ismaiel, there is the excitement of Kurt-Lee Arendse playing fullback, Springbok Embrose Papier gets a start at No.9 in the sort of high-tempo game he enjoys, the lock pairing of Walt Steenkamp and Sintu Manjezi both began the year in the Free State, and props Marcel van der Merwe and Gerhard Steenekamp, replacing the suspended Jacques van Rooyen, both deserve a start.

“It’s a bit of both wanting to rest guys and see how some new combinations go,” White said on Thursday. “I can’t keep playing the same guys, we’re not going to get away with that. I know things are working at the moment, but if we get to the playoffs and we haven’t tried any other combinations then we could be in trouble. What happens if someone gets Covid?

“There’s also a much bigger picture and we’re highly unlikely to get away with the same 23-man squad in Europe next year. So we have to get the guys game-ready and one of these new faces could play in a Currie Cup final, you never know. So I’d like to see these different combinations we’re trying and the guys are incredibly positive about the changes,” White said.

White has kept faith with the brilliant surprise packet centre pairing of Cornal Hendricks and Stedman Gans, and seems to have become a real cheerleader for the Sevens stars who have switched to XVs. He was particularly excited about playing Arendse at fullback.

“Like all the Sevens players, Kurt-Lee has incredible all-round skills and work-ethic. Not many fullbacks are putting their hands up in South African rugby and I would like to see him with more space and time. He can kick with both feet so he won’t get cornered and he’s done phenomenal things in training. He has unbelievable feet and if we can unearth another fullback like Gio Aplon, his idol, and Cheslin Kolbe, then it can only be good for the union,” White said.

With the security of knowing he has his office at Loftus Versfeld through to 2023, White knows the importance of blooding the next generation of players to ensure continued success for the Bulls.

“I’m quite fortunate that I have a long-term deal and part of my job is to get things in place for the next couple of seasons. Guys like Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Marnus Potgieter are on the bench this weekend and I have said that I will bring them through the system. I will keep my word to them and they need to get game time,” White said.

Bulls: Kurt-Lee Arendse, David Kriel, Stedman Gans, Cornal Hendricks, Marco Jansen van Vuren, Morné Steyn, Embrose Papier, Duane Vermeulen (c), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Walt Steenkamp, Sintu Manjezi, Marcel van der Merwe, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements – Corniel Els, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Trevor Nyakane, Ruan Nortje, Nizaam Carr, Ivan van Zyl, Chris Smith, Marnus Potgieter.

Bulls flyhalf Chris Smith said on Monday that the team’s culture and care for each other was the source of their incredible determination that took them to a remarkable 22-20 victory over Western Province in their Currie Cup clash at Newlands at the weekend, despite the visitors having to play with 14 men for the last 35 minutes.

Smith was a key figure in the Bulls’ first triumph in Cape Town since 2009, not only kicking an angled last-minute conversion to win the match, but also shining in the final quarter with a couple of telling breaks and generally taking control of the contest.

“The hunger was obviously there in the team to fight to the end and to pull through for the win showed our desperation, our hunger and that we play for each other. That’s thanks to the culture of the team, we really care for each other. It was an incredible feeling because the Bulls have not beaten Western Province at Newlands in 11 years and I was 15 years old when Morne Steyn made the kick to win that one, at school just down the road at SACS.

“And for me to now make the winning kick was a very special moment in my career, an awesome feeling and I was very chuffed. I missed a similar one against the Free State Cheetahs, having been put on after Morne had kicked well from the start. Those are the big moments that you want to step up, but I learnt from it and moved forward, and I’m stoked it didn’t happen twice,” Smith said.

Smith admitted that it helped not having the usual passionate Newlands crowd cheering on Western Province … and trying to distract the opposition kicker at such a key moment.

“A big crowd can definitely fiddle with your mindset a bit, so it was nice to be able to kick in peace. But we’re a few games in now without having crowds so it has become normal. But a lot of players do get energy from the crowd, they find it highly motivating. The kick was a bit of a blur for me, but I tried to just stick to my process and I knew I had put in the prep.

“I’ve been very lucky to have a mentor like Morne Steyn, I learn from him daily. He’s been playing incredible rugby and is probably the form flyhalf in the country right now. So I’m just being a sponge because he’s a Springbok legend and an even bigger legend off the field, I just follow and learn from him. Having good players around me definitely makes life easier,” Smith said.

Knitting together a team that could win the Super Rugby Unlocked competition was coach Jake White’s first job, but this weekend the Bulls showed that they also have incredible character as they opened their Currie Cup campaign with a stunning victory over Western Province at Newlands despite playing with only 14 men for 35 minutes.

The Bulls were already up against it as Western Province’s powerful Springbok front row put plenty of heat on them at the scrums, and the home team were thoroughly dominating both territory and possession. And then loosehead prop Jacques van Rooyen was harshly red-carded for a poor tackle that was a bit late and didn’t have a lot of arms being used, but it was not the head-high cheap shot referee AJ Jacobs talked TMO Rasta Rasivhenge into seeing.

But the cruel blow galvanised the Bulls and they snatched a 22-20 win at the death to win at Newlands for the first time since 2009.

“It shows a lot of character to play with 14 men for 35 minutes against Western Province and still get the result. The players can be exceptionally proud and this result will probably stay in the memory banks for a long time. I told the players afterwards to just enjoy it. That sort of character comes from within, from the group itself.

“If everyone is happy and everyone feels part of the team then you can get that sort of result. People talk about the culture of a team and we are clearly a tight unit. I’m very proud of what they did. When we got the red card, I just said we must keep believing, I’ve been in similar positions before and I remember when I was with the Sharks we beat the Crusaders with 14 men in Christchurch. So I know it’s possible, but if you don’t believe, it won’t happen,” White said after the game.

While White, and most observers including a died-in-the-wool Western Province supporter like Schalk Burger senior on social media, felt the red card was not a fair decision, the Bulls coach seemed more concerned about a breakdown in the machines that are meant to relay all the officials’ decisions into the coach’s box.

“I heard the conversation between the referee and TMO and then all of a sudden it was switched off. But it sounded almost as if there was not agreement between the two. I don’t think a red card was justifiable, I’m not happy with the decision because Warrick Gelant was not hit on the head but on the shoulder.

“I was confused about the conversation the referee had with the TMO and then they turned the referee’s microphone off. But if you’re not 100% sure then it surely can’t be a red card … and then suddenly it was. There was a bit of inconsistency with other penalties as well, the breakdown was untidy, but we understood we weren’t going to get reward there and you have to take the good with the bad ones,” White said.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt praised replacement wing Sbu Nkosi for his performance against the Pumas in their Currie Cup match in Durban on Friday night, saying his brace of tries were a fitting demonstration of why the 24-year-old Springbok is a World Cup winner.

Nkosi has had his share of injury problems this year as well as a brush with Covid-19 that forced him into quarantine, necessitating Everitt’s decision to play him off the bench. But it seems inevitable the Sharks coach will be finding a way of fitting him into the starting line-up when they return to action against the Bulls in a fortnight.

Nkosi scored with his first touch in the 53^rd minute when he spectacularly claimed the restart after the Pumas’ only try and then blazed away to score, and then he scored again with 10 minutes remaining with an intercept try completed with impressive pace.

“Sbu’s performance tonight was definitely the highlight with his two tries, he was phenomenal and showed why he is a World Cup winner with the Springboks. What a difference he made for us, he’s world-class in the air. He helped us win in Kimberley as well against Griquas. We scored some good tries through big defence tonight and we’re ecstatic with scoring seven tries,” Everitt said after the impressive 45-10 victory.

Because the Currie Cup fixtures have merely been a continuation of Super Rugby Unlocked, the Sharks now quirkily have a bye after just one Currie Cup match. They then host the Bulls at Kings Park on December 12 and they will certainly need to be more consistent in maintaining the level of performance they showed in the first half against the Pumas for the full 80 minutes against the log-leaders.

“I’m very proud with how we stood up in the first half, conditions were not easy but we were brave enough to move the ball around and score some good tries through big defence. I’m very happy with the way we played in the first half, the forwards laid a really good platform and there were three maul tries, we scrummed well and stuck to the plan.

“For the second half, the plan was to stick to our processes but unfortunately the Pumas put us under the pump at the set-pieces. You have to give them credit for that, putting us under pressure in the second half, especially at the scrums. But we also put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we certainly could have been better in the second half. But to win 45-10 definitely deserves credit,” Everitt said.