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Bulls coach Jake White made parallels between rugby and tennis regarding how the Sharks were bound to be tired after their Munster quarter-final.
Sharks wing Makazole Mapimpi during their quarter-final against Munster at Kings Park. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
Bulls director of rugby Jake White believes the Sharks will be at least somewhat drained after their penalty shootout victory, which played out after 100 minutes of rugby against Munster last weekend.
However, he says the Bulls will still have to be at their best to win their United Rugby Championship semi-final against the Durban union at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 6.15pm).
The two South African teams clash after the Bulls fought back to beat Edinburgh 42–33 in their 11-try quarter-final.
The Sharks were pressed a lot harder for their win, as they’ve been all season. They were tied 24–all after extra time, before the drama-filled penalty shootout that was only won by one kick.
Sharks will be more fatigued
“100 minutes will affect them,” White said on Friday. “If you follow tennis and some guys… are obviously more fatigued at the end of the competition if they have five-set matches week after week. Guys who win in two sets are obviously much better prepared physically. It does take its toll.”
Drawing on the Sharks’ far-from-perfect season that saw them win one match out of five in the EPCR, and winning half their URC games by seven points or less, the Bulls coach said the Sharks were still consistent in playing well in big games.
He especially drew on their Challenge Cup final win against Gloucester last year, and the dozen or so Springbok players at the Sharks who shine on the international stage.
“I don’t think we for one minute think it’s going to be easy. The Sharks have beaten us twice this year (20–17 in Durban in December and 29–19 at Loftus in February) and there’s a reason they’ve beaten us twice. They’ve got a good team.
“I’m expecting it to be as tough as it can be and we just have to make sure we play as well as we can. I’ve got no doubt if we play as well as we can, we can beat them.”
Bulls tight five must match the Sharks in physicality
White said the Bulls had to match the physicality shown from the Sharks if they were to win.
“The tight five need to front up tomorrow. The tighthead prop [Wilco Louw] needs to play well. Our goal-kicker [Johan Goosen] has been out for a while, he comes back into the team. And our captain [Ruan Nortjé] needs to make good decisions.
“They always say the forwards decide whether you win it and the backs decide by how much. That’s not going to change even after I’m gone. That’s how rugby works.”
