‘No scores to settle, just the desire to make the Grand Final’ for Vodacom Bulls

"There is no score to settle, no revenge over them but a desire for us to win this quarter-final and hopefully the semi-final and make our way to the final,” says Vodacom Bulls director of rugby, Jake White as his side prepares for the quarterfinal battle against Scottish side, Edinburgh Rugby on Saturday 31 May.

The seasoned mentor adds: “Quarter-finals are always the games you look forward to. These are the games you want to be involved in and not miss out. We lost to them a couple of weeks ago and that is probably a blessing for us because that should be lessons for us to be better in this outing,”

“The tournament has now become a three-game competition. You win all three games and you achieve your objective, which is winning the title” White concludes.

White has made minor tweaks to his outfit, bringing Johan Grobbelaar – from the bench – into the front row at hooker, alongside fellow Springboks and props Jan-hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw. Behind the front rowers are locks Cobus Wiese and JF van Heerden with Marcell Coetzee partnering with his skipper, Ruan Nortje at loose-forward. Cameron Hanekom slots in at No 8.

At halfback, Embrose Papier makes his return to play at scrumhalf, pairing up with flayhalf, Keagan Johannes. Behind them, Sebastian de Klerk and Canan Moodie will run out on the wings, whilst Harold Vorster and David Kriel combine at centre and El Maestro, Willie le Roux running business from fullback.

The impact squad features an ensemble of forwards in Akker van der Merwe, Simphiwe Matanzima, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten and Marco van Staden. Backs Zak Burger, Stedman Gans and Devon Williams all complete the five-three split stand-by roster.

The South Africans will welcome their Scotland counterparts to Loftus Versfeld Stadium at 1.30pm local time, tickets for this final eight bout of the 2024/25 Vodacom United Rugby Championship are available for as little as R50 from TicketPro.

White has been here before in his illustrious coaching career. But perhaps never before has one of the most recognisable coaches in world rugby felt such a deep emotional connection to a squad of players chasing a trophy.

“This has been a different experience for me. It’s been a very different four years of coaching for me,” says White, who is preparing to lead his Bulls into the URC play-offs for the fourth consecutive season when they tackle Edinburgh in the quarter-finals at Loftus Versfeld this weekend.

There is nothing new for White about this stage of a major rugby competition. The man who first started coaching in 1982 is well versed in the do-or-die 80 minutes of knockout rugby – from Rugby World Cups to Currie Cups and Super Rugby.

But this one feels so much more personal. And that’s because for White, it is.

“I’ve walked a journey with this team,” he says. “For most of these players, I’ve been through the most formative years of their rugby. When I started here, many of them were only 21. Now they’re in their mid-20s. I mean, 20 years ago they wouldn’t have been playing in a senior team because they were considered too young. So the development of this group has been very personal for me.”

And that’s why White is hoping that this time around, his players have learnt their lessons.

Within the context of the URC alone, the Bulls have made the play-offs in every single year of the competition. They also reached the Grand Final twice and lost it twice. The most heartbreaking of all was the shock defeat against the Glasgow Warriors at Loftus last season.

It was after that final that White said: “Maybe the problem is with me.”

Months later, the true depth behind that question is revealed in White’s connection to these players.

It was there for all to see when he appeared visibly shaken as Johan Goosen was once again carried off the field with a knee injury against Cardiff. “It affected me because I know how hard Johan works. I know what he’s been through. And I thought that was the end for him”.

And then came Cornal Hendricks. His death affected the entire team. White felt it too and broke down in tears in his press conference. In 2023 while coaching in this competition, White nearly lost his life because of a blood clot in his small intestine and required emergency abdominal surgery. For White, Hendricks’ passing was a reminder of how transient life is, never mind a rugby match.

But for this reason, White’s biggest hope for this group of players is that they don’t let another opportunity at achieving URC glory slip from their fingers.

“Cornal always warned the younger players in this team to not take anything for granted. We’ve lost two finals in this competition and coming so close and not winning comes at a cost. I’m hoping that they now understand how rare these opportunities are and how you cannot afford to miss them when they come. That’s maybe the lesson this team needs to take this group to another level.”

It was a lesson White says he saw his youngest son learn early in his life.

“I’ll never forget, my boy was in Grade 2 and one of his friends was knocked over on his bicycle by a bus and died. I remember the effect it had on him – going to class the next day and seeing his friend’s desk empty. Looking at today’s rugby player, we think that because they play rugby so well and are these rockstars on the field, that somehow they have it easier and handle things like Cornal’s death better. Well they don’t. It affects them just as much as anybody else. I’m hoping that their experience will make them realise just how quickly everything can change and to take the opportunities when they come. That’s why winning is so special – because it’s so hard to do.”

And that’s why White, who has seen coaching transform from one man with a bag of balls and a whistle back in the 80s to a team of coaches for every area of the game, still drives through the gates of Loftus Versfeld every morning. To capture that feeling that winning brings.

“That’s what makes me get up every morning. It’s what pushes me.”

White clearly wants to win this trophy.

But even more than that, he wants this group of players he feels everything for to touch the greatness Hendricks warned them to never take for granted.

Vodacom Bulls starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian De Klerk; 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Embrose Papier; 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Ruan Nortje (capt), 6 Marcell Coetzee; 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese; 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Replacements: 16 Akker Van der Merwe, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Marco Van Staden, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Stedman Gans, 23 Devon Williams.

Edinburgh Rugby starting XV: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Matt Currie, 12 James Lang, 11 Harry Paterson; 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ali Price; 8 Magnus Bradbury (capt), 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Ben Jamie Ritchie; 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Marshall Sykes; 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Liam McConnell, 20 Ben Muncaster, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Mark Bennett.

SATURDAY

Vodacom Bulls v Edinburgh Rugby @ Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria – KO 12.30pm IRE & UK/1.30pm ITA & SA

Referee: Adam Jones (WRU, 45th league game)

AR 1: Craig Evans (WRU) AR 2: Peter Martin (IRFU)

TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)

Live on: SuperSport, Premier Sports, Flo Rugby & URC.tv