Jake White adamant Bulls can turn tables on Stormers in playoffs

Jake White is bullish about the Bulls’ prospects of beating the Stormers in their quarter-final showdown in Cape Town this weekend.

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North-south rivals will square off in another installment of South African rugby’s blue ribbon fixture when the Stormers host the Bulls in a repeat of last season’s URC final.

This comes after the Stormers finished third on the overall URC table courtesy of 12 wins, four losses, and two draws from their 18 league games, while the Bulls came in sixth place with 10 wins and eight defeats.

In the one-on-one stakes, the Stormers are also on a five-match URC winning streak in this special fixture and will be looking to extend that run to six victories against the Bulls.

HISTORY BE DAMNED ACCORDING TO JAKE WHITE

But White says history doesn’t matter when it comes to playoff rugby and believes there’s every chance that the Bulls can eliminate the defending champions Stormers in front of their home crowd.

“Let me be clear, as the Bulls we still haven’t done anything in the URC. In all probability, the odds will tell you the Stormers should beat us [on Saturday],” White said in an official URC statement.

“This season for me has been a little bit like playing on the Friday to make the cut [of a golf competition], where for the past two years for this group it’s been about walking up the 18th on a Sunday trying to win the tournament,” White added.

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“This season has been about are we good enough, why do I have the yips in my putting, are we going to make the cut, we’re under pressure here. These are questions that have never been asked of this group of players.

“We had to make the cut, and we’ve done that. Now we have three games to win the competition. It’s just like golf with two days now to win it. And in golf, the one who just makes the cut compared with the player who is six shots ahead, there is no guarantee the player in the lead is going to win the competition. So now it’s a new competition,’ explained Jake White.

“It’s irrelevant how many games you’ve won out of 18, or if they’ve beaten you in the pool stages. The point is now who plays the best at the back end of the competition. That’s why I’ve said all along, don’t measure us halfway through the competition.

“The first priority when you sign up to any competition is to make sure you play in the playoffs. That’s the bottom line.

“But all I can say is the resilience we talk about is much more meaningful to youngsters when it comes from a position of experience and having been through it. Sometimes, that’s what a team needs to move to the next level,” Jake White concluded.

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STORMERS VS BULLS MATCH INFO GRAPHIC