CAPE TOWN - Bulls coach Jake White has hailed his team for showing great character to beat the Pumas 32-27 following the disaster in the Rainbow Cup final.
Having capitulated 35-8 to Benetton in Treviso last Saturday, the Pretoria side had to fly back to South Africa and then get ready to take on the in-form Pumas – who had beaten the Lions 39-10 last week – in the Currie Cup on a Friday night at Loftus Versfeld.
It had all the ingredients of another ambush, considering that the Bulls were “embarrassed” by the performance in Italy and didn’t have much time to prepare for the Pumas clash.
Add in all the players missing through injury and national call-ups, and it was clear that the Bulls were up against it.
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But after a slow start, the forwards in particular found their rhythm and the hosts shot into a 17-3 halftime lead. They had to defend heroically late in the second half, but held on for a bonus-point triumph.
“It was always going to be tough against the Pumas. I know the Pumas game plan, having watched and listened to Jimmy (Stonehouse, Pumas coach) talk often – he lives in Pretoria – they need to start well, and they are that sort of team that feel after 20 minutes, if they’re in the game, they get their tails up,” White said at the post-match online press conference.
“So we knew they would be a team that comes hard at us for 20 – we’d have to work really hard. I think we let them slip in a little there when it was 25-10, but all credit to them. One has to be proud of how they stuck to it.
“We’re tired. We are tired. We have flown economy class around the world, back again. Played Benetton last week, with all the mishaps we had. Lost the game.
“I expected the players to be flat, as you quite rightly said. But I’m very proud. I think all Bulls supporters… we weren’t happy last week. We were below par, and we know it.
“And when you come back and get five points at home against a really good team that won last week and got five points against the Lions, then you’ve got to be happy.”
And, as luck would have it, it’s another short turnaround to their next match, against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, as they have to go into a 10-day bio-bubble before facing the British and Irish Lions at Loftus on Saturday, July 10.
“And then in about three days after (the Cheetahs game), we go into isolation and about 10 days later, we play the British and Irish Lions – probably their number-one Test side,” White said.
“So, it doesn’t get any easier. Last year, we lost to Free State away, so we know how tough it is to play there as well.”
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