Ken Borland

If Jake White is the professor of rugby here in South Africa then Duane Vermeulen is surely the dean when it comes to wise counsel for the players. And the duo teamed up on Friday to plot the downfall of the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town on Saturday.

Not only is Vermeulen, who played for White at the Bulls in 2020 and 2021, one of the most respected wise old heads in South African rugby, but he also has all the knowledge from last weekend’s semi-final when his Ulster team only just went down to the Stormers via a conversion after the hooter.

“Duane is coming to eat with me just now and then he will come to captain’s practice with me this afternoon,” White revealed on Friday. “I will show him our lineouts and he can explain how Ulster felt they stopped the Stormers maul so well last weekend.

“It’s going to be incredible input to have to help us close down their maul as the lineout drives are going to play a big part in the final.”

The fact that Vermeulen is also a Stormers legend and is now in the enemy camp is not going to sit well with the Cape Town faithful. But change is the one constant in life and how the Stormers adapt to the shifting strategic needs during the final will perhaps be the deciding factor in who becomes the first URC champions.

White, who named an unchanged team on Friday, is confident that the Bulls have the game-management skills to fit their tactics to the situation and the expected bad weather.

“This team has found a way to win in different ways, they are clever enough to work out how to win while they’re on the field,” White said.

“They have continually learnt lessons. Last time we were here against the Stormers we didn’t play well, our heads were in another place and the players admitted that. But finals rugby is different.

“We faced unbelievable conditions last week against Leinster, but we found a way to play. Against Connacht we experienced playing against the wind in the first half and in the second half.

“The coaches have done enough work, the scenario planning has all been done. What the players have learnt has given them confidence for the final,” White said.

The World Cup winning coach also said the much-vaunted Stormers scrum, which he admitted was one of the home team’s key strengths, would not be the advantage it should be because of the unstable turf of the Cape Town Stadium.

The canny coach made a plea to the referee, Andrew Brace, to not let the result be decided by a penalty for a collapsed scrum.

Bulls: Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cornal Hendricks, Harold Vorster, Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith, Zak Burger; Elrigh Louw, Arno Botha, Marcell Coetzee (captain), Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp. Replacements – Bismarck du Plessis, Simphiwe Matanzima, Robert Hunt, Janko Swanepoel, WJ Steenkamp; Embrose Papier, Morne Steyn, David Kriel.

Whatever the result of the United Rugby Championship final on Saturday, it will herald the completion of two remarkable coaching stories.

For Stormers coach John Dobson, it will give him standing as one of the country’s leading coaches. Although highly-rated, Dobson has had to spend many years working away in the shadows of Cape Town rugby as a dysfunctional union looked elsewhere for a coach to revitalise their sagging fortunes.

For Jake White, what he has done for the Bulls has marked a triumphant return to South African rugby. Having achieved the pinnacle of coaching when he steered the national team to the World Cup crown as a 43-year-old in 2007, he arguably should have presided over a dominant era of Springbok rugby. But, typical of how SA Rugby was run in those days, he was instead almost declared persona non grata locally.

There were many things held against the outspoken, headstrong White. Whether it was the fact he never played first-class rugby let alone for the Springboks, or that he preferred speaking in English, or that he treated the players as if he was still a schoolmaster, his coaching ability was somehow questioned.

Even after he steered the Sharks to the top of the South African Conference and a Super Rugby semi-final against the Crusaders in Christchurch in 2014, there were murmurings of a dictatorial approach. Or was it just that the Sharks didn’t have the steel to see the required changes at Kings Park through to the end?

There can be no questions anymore about White’s ability now that he has transformed the Bulls from a hesitant, under-performing team living on past glories, to a vibrant, exciting, clinical force that also boasts wonderful depth in talent in their efficient pipeline.

The Hall of Famer, who also enjoyed success in Australia, France and Japan, has also mellowed a bit. His global experience has taught him that there is more than one way to achieve success and there is no doubt the Bulls love playing for him.

Ironically, considering how often Loftus Versfeld and White butted heads when he was Springbok coach, in terms of tradition and culture and an appreciation for the basics of rugby, the Bulls are a good fit for the two-time IRB Coach of the Year.

After losing twice to the Stormers in January and April, the Bulls had to jack up their ability to turn their pressure into points according to captain Marcell Coetzee, and he is confident that their finishing is now on a par with their hosts ahead of their United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Bulls lost 26-30 to the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in January, a 20-minute purple patch giving them a 26-18 lead with 12 minutes left, but they frittered away their advantage. Then, in Cape Town in April, the Bulls were outscored two tries to one in a 17-19 defeat as the Stormers’ defence showed none of the little losses of concentration that their archrivals did.

“Execution was the difference in those matches,” Coetzee said. “We had a lot of opportunities and we could have sealed the deal. There were a lot of chances that we did not take.

“But the Stormers did, like they did in their semi-final last weekend against Ulster. That’s what makes them dangerous: They take their chances to the best of their ability.

“But we’ve got better at that too and we are more clinical now. So I would say the execution of our game-plans is at an equal level for both sides.

“There was huge jubilation after beating Leinster, but what we were most proud of was how we implemented our plan on the day with 100% efficiency. We showed we can win an away playoff,” Coetzee said.

With so much riding on the game – not just the previous history between the two great North/South rivals of South African rugby, but also the chance to be the first URC champions – it is unlikely the teams will be able to play with unfettered freedom. Adding to the Test match feel will be the fact that the Stormers will give the Bulls little leeway in the scrums or at the breakdown.

The Stormers have the edge in current Springboks and World Cup winners, and the Bulls will be running to the shelter provided by their experienced, internationally-proven men like Coetzee, Morne Steyn, Bismarck du Plessis, Cornal Hendricks and Arno Botha.

“I remember as a young player playing in finals for the Sharks between 2011 and 2013, there’s immense pressure on you, but you feel safe with guys who have been there and done it before. You feed off that,” Coetzee said.

“And those experienced guys feed off the youngsters’ energy, how much we appreciated being in a final. Guys like Morne and Bismarck, they know what to expect and we know what to expect from them.

“It’s not so much about revenge, but a final will be personal on both fronts and it’s always 50/50 on the day. We will approach the final with the humility and respect it deserves.

“Our job is not done yet, there’s still a lot for us to fix. Our plan worked to perfection but then we let Leinster back in the game at the end. But the Stormers were able to keep their composure towards the end of a tight contest,” Coetzee said.

Madosh Tambwe had few opportunities to shine in the United Rugby Championship semi-final against Leinster, but he is determined to end his stint with the Bulls with a bang in the final on Saturday to pay back coach Jake White for his belief in him.

The 25-year-old has already played for a few clubs in his short career – spending three seasons at the Lions and one at the Sharks – but it is since joining the Bulls last year that he has developed into a genuine international-class wing. And on Tuesday he expressed his gratitude to White for that, as he will now be joining Bordeaux-Begles in France.

“Coach Jake has been tremendous,” Tambwe said. “He has challenged me in various ways and brings out the best in me, not just on the field but as a team guy.

“I have a great relationship with Jake and working with him has been the highlight of my career and hopefully I can finish my time with the Bulls on a high on Saturday.

“When I told Jake I was joining Bordeaux, he understood why I wanted to play in the Top 14 and the reasons behind it. Every good thing comes to an end, but I want to give back to him for uplifting my career.

“The one thing I can do is play out of my socks in the final to help give him and the team the win,” Tambwe said.

While Tambwe had a quiet semi-final against Leinster, he has certainly made his mark this season with his power and pace, and aerial ability on the wing. The battle of the back threes is going to be a fascinating contest within the final on Saturday because the Stormers wings and fullback have also excelled this season.

“When I moved here from the Sharks, Jake had Stravino Jacobs and Kurt-Lee Arendse as his wings and I had to work on having a point of difference, putting effort into my craft and my qualities.

“I help bring extra speed to the attack, retrieving the high ball and getting position back because that is the way rugby is moving. You need to relieve pressure in your half and put it on the opposition.

“It puts a smile on my face when a team like Leinster makes sure they don’t give me any space because that means I’m doing something right.

“And you have to credit the Stormers back three as well, they have played really well, they are great players. But it all comes down to Saturday and we’ll approach them like every other dangerous back three – if we close down their space then we will be in good hands,” Tambwe said.