White’s group system is starting to pay off
Jake White's plan to expand the depth of his Bulls squad as much as possible has given teasers and internet trolls a chance to display their ignorance regularly over the past two years, but Saturday's win by the Bulls' "B-team" against Lyon put this strategy thoroughly into perspective.
The Bulls and Lyon entertained rugby fans on Saturday with a 78-point game in round one of their pool a game of the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup fixture.
With the brilliant running rugby performance from the Bulls, as well as the character they showed with their defence when their French opponents threatened to spoil the day towards the end, many of Jake White’s haters had to swallow their words about the Bulls’ plan of the past two years through which a group system has been built up.
The Pretoria outfit ran in tries through Sibongile Novuka, Bernard van der Linde (x2), Nizaam Carr, Stravino Jacobs and Chris Barend Smith, to register a victory on debut in the competition.
At halftime the Bulls were ahead 28-12.
The hosts came under a bit of pressure in the second half when the men from France started their fightback effort, fuelled by their eight man and former Bulls star, Arno Botha. The game became an 11-point match with 50 minutes played on the clock.
The after-effects of playing in the highveld were vividly becoming visible as both sides played at an exceptionally high tempo. However, the experience of the visitors proved vital as they were able to score at regular pace to keep up with the Bulls and send the game to a thrilling end. Six points separated the two sides with 18 minutes left on the board.
After a converted try by centre Chris Smith for the home team, Lyon proved once again that they were not out of the game, as Kyle Godwin showed individual brilliance to go over the line for his side’s fifth of the night. This try left the game uncomfortably close for the home team at 42-36 with four minutes left to play.
The final minutes of the match was nothing short of edge-of-your-seat drama as both sides engaged in a tug of war for a victory. In the end, the Bulls had enough to defend their territory and registered a memorable 42-36 victory in Pretoria.
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