Jake White says his message for the Vodacom Bulls is simple ahead of their must-win URC showdown against a formidable Sharks side at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Speaking during a Bulls team announcement conference in Pretoria on Friday, White highlighted the challenge against John Plumtree’s men to decide who advances to next week’s final, describing them as potentially the strongest Sharks team ever.
“I’ve said this before, theirs is probably one of the best Sharks teams that’s ever been on paper,” the Bulls chief told reporters. “It reminds me of Pieter Muller, Henry Honiball, Jeremy Thomson, Cabous van der Westhuizen, Andre Joubert – I think they’re 15 out of the 54 Springbok players [in the squad announced on Thursday].
“So it’s not too bad, you know.”
White makes one change to the Bulls starting XV that beat Edinburgh last week, as Johan Goosen replaces Keagan Johannes at flyhalf. The 13-Test playmaker returns after lasting just 11 minutes against Cardiff in early May before injuring his knee.
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Johannes, who scored 14 points including a spectacular try against Edinburgh, drops to the bench.
White’s challenge extends beyond team selection as the Bok squad announcement for the June-July internationals creates additional pressure.
“It’s interesting because yesterday they announced the 54-man Springbok squad, and you don’t have to be too clever to work out – it’s like trials tomorrow, and one of the messages I’ve given the players is, ‘please, I don’t want you to play like it’s trials, I want you to play like it’s a team,’” the former Bok boss said.
Several Bulls players, including Bok scrumhalf Embrose Papier and hooker Johan Grobbelaar, were overlooked by Rassie Erasmus, so facing World Cup-winning Sharks stars creates extra motivation. The Bulls also face a Sharks side that won both league clashes between the teams this season.
“That’s why when you pick a rugby ball up, like little boys always do in your garden and the one says he’s Goosen, and the other one says he’s Cobus Wiese, this is where it ends up. That’s the message,” White said.
“You play rugby to play in these big games, and the best players in the world are the ones who play the best in these games.
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“There’s a reason [the Sharks] have beaten us twice this season, they’ve got a good team,” he added. “I think that 12 of their starting XV are Springboks, and off the top of my head, if you go through that pack only two flankers aren’t Springboks, and the rest are – and not only Springboks but World Cup winners.
“Often what happens in these situations, whenever you announce a [Bok] team before a big game … there’s 54 guys who want to become Springboks. They want to be in the first round, they know they’ve got to compete against the guys they’re playing against tomorrow.
“It doesn’t matter what I say, they know that this is an opportunity in front of selectors, and the public, for them to stake a claim. My job is just to get them to understand it’s not about individuals tomorrow, it’s about how we played [this season].
“I said to them in the change room today: they’ve been picked on what they did the last 18 weeks, it’s got nothing to do with what they have to do tomorrow, that’s my message … I just want them to continue doing that.”
Regarding Goosen’s match readiness, White added: “If anyone says, ‘listen, he’s not game-ready’, that’s usually how he plays his career – in and out, in and out. I’m sure you guys watched a bit of training … it’s like he hasn’t been away.
“He’s our No 10 and our goal-kicker and we have [Johannes who] has played really well for us on the bench, so it’s a good position to be in.”
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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