‘Don’t give Lions space to counter-attack,’ says Jake White
Find a way to outwit the Lions on attack and limit their space for counter-attacks - these are the basic requirements that Jake White sets for his team for Saturday's important URC match between the two neighboring teams in Johannesburg.
Ruan Nortje will lead a Bulls side on Saturday that sees the return of Springbok duo, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie for round 10 of the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship.
The Pretoria outfit will travel down the N1 to the Emirates Airline Park for what promises to be an enthralling spectacle of Rugby if the last meeting was anything to go by.
A fortnight ago, the noisy neighbours visited Loftus in what ended up being a six-try thriller to the finish, as the men in blue held their own to take a two-point victory. That performance by the Johannesburg side earned praise from the director of rugby, Jake White.
“We must give ‘Cash’ [Ivan van Rooyen] some credit, he has done well with the conditioning of his team, they really get back up well. They are very good at understanding counterattacks because they do it so well. Their wingers are also good at closing their outside, so we will have to find a new way of getting through them,” White commented.
Much is on the line this weekend for both teams. A victory for the Bulls would close the gap to the three teams above them on the log standings, whilst a four-point win would bring the Lions back into the top eight of the competition as the race to cement playoff spots intensifies.
White believes the side is playing for more than just solidifying their chances of playoffs, but also building momentum in playing well in the later stages of the competitions.
“We are going to have to play well, almost our best rugby like it’s test rugby. The next two weekends are like trial runs for the big knockout games that are coming. We have made one or two tweaks with our changes, not for any other reason but to continue learning who can play with whom because we are never going to have the same team,” he remarked.
Asked if the Lions were the surprise pick of the season, White said they have played well and together for a prolonged period, so they have continuity and cohesion.
“The longer you keep a group together, the better they play,” he said.
Kick-off for the second Jukskei derby of the season is set for 15:00 on Saturday.
BULLS STARTING XV vs LIONS: 1. Gerhard Steenekamp, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 3. Mornay Smith, 4. Reinhardt Ludwig, 5. Ruan Nortje (c), 6. Marco van Staden, 7. Elrigh Louw, 8. Cameron Hanekom, 9. Embrose Papier, 10. Jaco van der Walt, 11. Canan Moodie, 12. David Kriel, 13. Stedman Gans, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 15. Devon Williams
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Simphiwe Matanzima, 17. Akker van der Merwe, 18. Francois Kloppers, 19. Janko Swanepoel, 20. Marcell Coetzee/Sergeal Petersen, 21. Keagan Johannes, 22. Johan Goosen, 23. Mpilo Gumede.
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