Déjà vu: Jake White won’t say much to his Bulls players before Edinburgh game

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said his team were experiencing some déjà vu in facing Edinburgh for a third time this season, while also reaching the United Rugby Championship play-offs for the fourth time in a row.

He said almost all of his players have “been here, done it before” and have improved greatly over the past few years. They will not need extensive analysis of Edinburgh or their potential semi-final opponents, pointing out areas of improvement, or motivation to give their all.

But they are ready to go all the way this time.

The Bulls secured their home quarter-final against Edinburgh at Loftus on Saturday (kick-off 1.30pm) after finishing second on the log with 14 wins from 18 games.

One of those victories came against Edinburgh at Loftus in September (final score 22–16). The Bulls almost became the first South African side to beat Edinburgh in Scotland, but they fell just short in their Challenge Cup quarter-final (final score 34–28).

Head-to-head, Edinburgh have won three of the five games between the sides. Both teams have won every match played at home.

Not much new to be said

As White geared up for another clash against his former assistant coach at the Sharks and consultant with the Bulls, Sean Everitt, he said there was little that needed to be said.

“Edinburgh beat us a couple of weeks ago so there is not much I need to say [to the team] because I think the players understand,” White explained.

“We play Sharks or Munster [in the semi-final] and those are two teams that have beaten us this year. So there’s not much I need to say in terms of getting them ready. It’s a little bit of déjà vu on the basis that we’ve been here, done it before, but we now have the opportunity to play our best rugby in the last three weeks.”

The Bulls’ forward pack has dominated all opposition, putting them in the position they are in. White praised tighthead prop Wilco Louw for his standout performances in scrums and said he hoped he would win the South African URC Player of the Year award.

Edinburgh’s Wes Goosen says they are braced for the Bulls

But many players have shone for the Bulls, not least their eighthman, Cameron Hanekom, who is also up for the award with his threatening runs, offloads, tackling and work at the breakdown.

White said his players have improved since their URC final defeat against Glasgow last year, and were good enough to go all the way this time.

Still, Edinburgh’s South African-born winger Wes Goosen said they were up to the challenge. They just needed to continue pressing as they had in the first hour of their Challenge Cup victory, before allowing the Bulls back into the game.

“It’s not going to be easy. They are a very physical team with a lot of superstars, but you look at our team – we’ve got good players as well,” Goosen said.