Ken Borland

Bulls coach Jake White was prodding the bear again this week ahead of their crunch Currie Cup clash with Western Province at Newlands on Saturday, reminding his opposition of the hiding they were dished out at Loftus Versfeld at the end of last month.

The Stormers were being put to the sword, the Bulls leading 39-6 after 64 minutes, when lightning forced their game to be stopped. Since then, however, the Stormers have registered convincing wins over Griquas and the Free State Cheetahs, prompting some talk of a title challenge being back on track from the Cape media, which White was quick to latch onto.

“It was a great performance to score practically 40 points in 60 minutes against the Stormers, but now I read Western Province have the momentum, they’ve hit their straps, they’ve got their game back together, so I’m sure it will be a great contest on Saturday. It’s a massive game and I know I would much rather be the team that won 39-6 in the first round.

“Western Province kick more than any other team, while we kick less than most so we’re not phased playing on the coast, in fact it will suit us. Because we are developing a team for the Pro16, our game has got to be good enough to get the win wherever we play – we’ve got to be good enough at altitude, at Newlands or at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin,” White said.

While the Stormers have a core of settled Springboks – the World Cup winning front row, Siya Kolisi back as captain and two in-form backs in Warrick Gelant and Herschel Jantjies – White is busy farming a crop of exciting youngsters at Loftus Versfeld. Trying to win at Newlands for the first time since 2009 will be a great test for the likes of exciting new fullback David Kriel, impressive lock Ruan Nortje, outside centre Stedman Gans and loose forward Marco van Staden.

“Western Province have a fantastic, settled side and it’s going to be almost like the old days with all the Springboks back. It’s going to be like the glory days of the Currie Cup, but it’s just a pity there won’t be any supporters where you usually have one of the best crowds in the world. We’re trying to build a team, to create a legendary team, and winning at Newlands this weekend would be a great way to finish at that stadium.

“A guy like Ruan Nortje is still young and his body will still change as he gets older, he will get bigger and stronger. But his involvement in the game is incredible, he goes in 100% in anything he does, he reminds me a lot of a Francois Mostert or a Pieter-Steph du Toit in terms of an unbelievable work-rate. And of course he’ll be up against the new Bakkies and Victor in Salmaan Moerat and JD Schickerling,” White said in a parting shot of irony.

Teams

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

Western Province: Warrick Gelant, Seabelo Senatla, Dan du Plessis, Rikus Pretorius, Angelo Davids, Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, Juarno Augustus, Ernst van Rhyn, Siya Kolisi (captain), JD Schickerling, Salmaaan Moerat, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff. Replacements (from): Scarra Ntubeni, Ali Vermaak, Kwenzo Blose, Neethling Fouche, David Meihuizen, Chris van Zyl, Jaco Coetzee, Marcel Theunissen, Godlen Masimla, Tim Swiel, Ruhan Nel.

Kickoff: 7pm.

Jake White was clearly having a bit of a laugh when he said his Bulls team might go to Newlands on Saturday and not kick at all in their Currie Cup opener against great rivals Western Province at Newlands, but the canny World Cup winning coach has already had the last laugh with the way he has turned things around at Loftus Versfeld.

White has always given a good press conference because he is engaging, loves a chat and he is not averse to playing a few mind games, especially before the big matches. In domestic terms, it seldom gets any bigger than the Bulls against the Stormers/Western Province, the famous north versus south derby.

Probably the most impressive feature though of White’s coaching at Loftus Versfeld has been the way the Bulls have shown the ability to play different kinds of rugby. The general expectation when he arrived in Pretoria was that the Bulls would play a conservative brand of rugby, going back to their old strengths of almost 10-man rugby: a powerful pack dominating the tight exchanges and then the halfbacks kicking the leather off the ball and the stuffing out of the opposition.

And while White has recently been giving hints that they will need to perfect the conservative approach once they start playing in the Pro16 competition in the miserable European winter, the Bulls backs have been playing with a new-found verve and sparkle. Sevens Springboks seem to be having a much bigger impact in XVs these days, but White has gone further than most in choosing three of them in his backline – Kurt-Lee Arendse, Stedman Gans and Cornal Hendricks.

White has never been a great publisher of his strategic thinking in the build-up to his campaigns, but there was barely a hint of Hendricks’ move to inside centre before it happened in the official opening friendly of the season, the Bulls’ game against the Sharks on SuperFan Saturday.

While many viewed the decision with trepidation – especially those used to the normal big bruisers who have played inside centre for the Bulls – White’s eye for talent and shrewd rugby brain has once again been proven because Hendricks has been a revelation in the No.12 jersey. He has been the key to the exciting backline play they have produced, while he has also shown no signs of vulnerability defensively.

The thing about White is that he is a true student of the game and his attention to detail is second to none; from prop to fullback, the coach will be very precise in what he wants from his players.

It has been remarkable how the Bulls have gone from the lower reaches of the 2020 Super Rugby log, winning just one of their six matches before Covid-19 struck, to the champion team in South Africa, but that’s what happens when hard work is backed up by tactical excellence and a coach who has the experience and nous to get the little things, that make such a big difference, right.

While White’s lateral thinking has taken him to the perimeters of rugby wisdom at times, he also puts great store in the importance of the basics. Little wonder then that in his recruitment and his selection thus far he has concentrated on building the most physically intimidating, formidable pack in South Africa. Their dominance of the gain-line has been key to everything else they have tried to do on the field.

There are many who wrote White, who will turn 57 in two weeks time,  off as one of the antiques of world coaching, but the value of having an experienced, well-travelled coach – he has also worked in Australia, France and Japan – has become very apparent at Loftus Versfeld.

A great forward-planner, White has also worked hard in his position of director of rugby to put together structures for the entire Bulls system. The art of coaching is not about gimmicks or fancy moves, but mastering the basics.

White seems to be doing that at Loftus Versfeld, and a powerful Bulls team is good news for South African rugby as a whole.

Marius Louw v Wayne van der Bank

Modern rugby and the vastly-improved defensive structures means inside centres no longer play with the same electrical intent to spread the ball like they used to, but Louw and exciting 23-year-old Van der Bank were two of the better No.12s in Super Rugby Unlocked.

Louw has been an impressive mix of industrial strength, throwing himself into the physical collisions, and pleasing skills for the Sharks, and has arguably been their most consistent player as the pacesetters at the start of the year have struggled to regain their spark. The former flanker had the fifth-most carries, shared with Van der Bank the honour of beating the second-most defenders [15] and produced five offloads [T6th] in Super Rugby Unlocked. He was also tied-fourth for the most tackles won.

Van der Bank may be small in build [89kg] compared to some of the bruisers playing inside centre these days, but he has been a delight to watch as he has rewired the Pumas backline. He has also beaten 15 defenders [T2nd] and has shown his physicality by winning the third most tackles. He may be coming off the bench on Friday night, but such has been his impact that he will almost certainly come on and take on Louw in a thrilling head-to-head.

Thembelani Bholi v Phumzile Maqondwana

The 23-year-old Maqondwana has been in such powerful form lately in the back row for the Pumas that the Sharks can expect him to throw the kitchen sink and several other appliances at them. Bholi is a hardworking loose forward and he is going to need to be at his best to keep the powerhouse from the Eastern Cape in check.

Dylan Richardson v Francois Kleinhans

Retreaded hooker Richardson has been given a remit as openside flank and will have to neutralise former Sharks flank Kleinhans, who will definitely target the breakdowns hard even though he is playing eighthman. The Pumas were the most effective team at the rucks in Super Rugby Unlocked, with a 94% success rate, while the Sharks were towards the bottom of that ranking, which makes it likely the visitors will target them in that department at Kings Park on Friday night.

Curwin Bosch v Theo Boshoff

The Pumas flyhalf is fresh out of university where he played a starring role for Tuks in the Varsity Cup and, solid as he has been, Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse will be tempted to shout instructions down the radio when it comes to game management. Bosch, in contrast, has been an accomplished, polished general all year long. Given that the Pumas could well match the Sharks up front, the decision-making of the flyhalves will be crucial and Boshoff faces a big test in Durban.

While the Bulls know they will receive a typically fiery reception when their aircraft touches down in Cape Town, their talismanic captain Duane Vermeulen is apparently in a particularly combative mood ahead of their crunch Currie Cup opener against Western Province at Newlands on Saturday.

The Springbok colossus, man of the match in the 2019 World Cup final, played in the blue-and-white hoops from 2009 to 2015 but was strangely not wanted by the Stormers when he returned to South Africa in late 2018. Without suggesting Vermeulen has his mind on revenge, he takes immense pride in his performances and he will want to show his former team and his many Springbok colleagues playing for Western Province that he is still a major force. As if his considerable performances so far this season have not already proven that.

“I think Duane feels the best he has for a long time, he seems to have had added energy this week, he knows Newlands and the Western Province players well and it’s the most fired-up I’ve seen him for a long time. His family is still down in Cape Town, his kids are at school there, he lives in the hotel at Loftus and isn’t commuting. So it can’t be easy for him.

“But he’s played 80 minutes after 80 minutes, and he gives you the full 80 minutes every time. So there are no questions around his commitment and the team sees just how committed he is. Duane has been waiting a long time for this game, there are quite a few Springboks in the Western Province team and he really wants to play well against them,” Bulls coach Jake White said on Thursday.

White, for all his baiting and chirping of the Bulls’ greatest rivals, knows that Western Province will also be fully primed for action on Saturday, especially after they were hammered 39-6 in 64 minutes at Loftus Versfeld at the end of last month. There will be no monkeying about from the home side on Saturday.

“Western Province have had two weeks to prepare for this game and they are a very strong side, a fantastic side with settled coaches. Their World Cup winning captain [Siya Kolisi] is back and they have consistently been a form team in South African rugby. Plus they have an incredible record against the Bulls – we haven’t won there since 2009 – so there’s no doubt they’re going to be up for it.

“We beat them convincingly up here and there’s no doubt that will drive them. They’re playing at home, it could be the last time they play the Bulls at Newlands with all its history and memories, so they will have all the energy they need. We are going to need to be as good as we’ve been all year in our best games to give ourselves the best opportunity of winning,” White said from Pretoria.

Johan Grobbelaar returns to the Bulls pack and will start at hooker in the only change to their starting line-up announced on Thursday.

Bulls team: David Kriel, Travis Ismaiel, Stedman Gans, Cornal Hendricks, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Chris Smith, Ivan van Zyl, Duane Vermeulen (c), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Trevor Nyakane, Johan Grobbelaar, Jacques van Rooyen. Replacements – Corniel Els, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marcel van der Merwe, Sintu Manjezi, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Clinton Swart, Marco Jansen van Vuren.