Bulls' Jake not so 'scared to put guys in'

ONE could understand the absolutely horrible feeling that was enveloping Bulls coach Jake White following the United Rugby Championship final defeat to Glasgow last year.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

Some fans and critics may have thought it would just be a case of the Bulls rocking up at Loftus Versfeld to clinch the URC title.

But they didn’t bank on the fighting spirit of Franco Smith's Glasgow Warriors, who paid tribute to their name by producing a remarkable fight-back from 13-0 down in the first half to claim an epic 21-16 victory.

In the immediate aftermath, White said that “maybe I’m the problem”, mentioning that he had lost a few finals before that too.

“I lost a Super Rugby final (against the) Chiefs (when coaching the Brumbies), lost a Rainbow Cup in Benetton, lost two URC finals. So I'll probably have to look at what I have to do as a coach to try and get over the line,” the former Springbok coach said after the 2024 final.

Of course, White has won the biggest prize of them all, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and has had many highs during an illustrious coaching career spanning 40 years.

But crunch time has arrived in the URC, and it is all about beating Edinburgh in Saturday's quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld (1.30pm start).