Four bonus point wins can see Bulls top of URC, says Jake White

According to Bulls director of rugby Jake White’s permutations, they can still finish on top of the log in the United Rugby Championship regular season with four bonus-point wins.

With four games left, teams are pursuing different goals at this stage of the season; some are looking to finish in the top four of the points table, others are in a tight race to make the top eight, while those at the bottom of the standings are on a mission to conclude their season on a positive note.

The Bulls are among those pushing to finish at the summit of the log, fighting it out with the likes of Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, and Munster.

The Pretoria-based side have seen their campaign suffer a setback after back-to-back losses to Leinster and Munster saw them move from second to fourth with 46 points.

‘We could come first’

However, the Bulls still have their destiny in their own hands with three of their remaining four games at home, with the first of those on Saturday against Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld (kick-off 3pm).

White knows this run-in period is vital and has done his own calculations that see the Bulls finishing on top if they win all their games with bonus points.

“There are four rounds left, and I’m so aware of all the permutations that can happen. If we win four games with bonus points, we could come first. We could end up winning four without bonus points and come out sixth.

“What I’m trying to say is there are so many possibilities that can happen … this team wins, this one doesn’t, and this one doesn’t. There are so many permutations, but that’s wonderful; you want the last weekend to go down to where teams can either stay alive or go out.

‘Lots of rugby to be played’

White stressed they have their destiny in their own hands.

“We still have our destiny in our own hands,” he said.

“There’s still a lot of rugby to be played, and teams still have to play each other. It’s not a case of teams that are near us are going to play teams that are right at the bottom of the log. Someone takes points from someone, and they need those points to finish in the top eight.

“There are so many intriguing situations that can happen. And while we can control winning at Loftus and getting to the last game (against the Sharks), knowing we have our fate in our hands is important,” said White.

Looking ahead to their clash with Ospreys, White said he expects the Welsh side to put up a brave fight at Loftus.

“They stay in the fight, and they have been competitive. They have been the top Welsh team. Consistently, they have been the one team that has been toughest to play against in all three years (in the URC),” White said.