‘More desperate’ Bulls must change second-half trend
Most of the fall-out of the 23-22 loss to the Scarlets has centred around Johan Grobbelaar’s red card, but the Bulls know that they need to sort out a number of issues ahead of Friday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Benetton in Treviso (kick-off 8.35pm).
Springbok hooker Grobbelaar was unfortunate to be sent off for making head contact in a tackle on Scarlets opposite number Marnus van der Merwe in the 67th minute in Llanelli last Friday.
Italian referee Federico Vedovelli somehow found evidence on the TV replays that Grobbelaar had made direct contact with Van der Merwe’s head – when the footage showed that any such contact was not clear and obvious – and issued a red card to the Bulls front-ranker.
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White will hope to have Grobbelaar’s red card rescinded in the disciplinary hearing in the same way as David Kriel’s one was last week. But on the pitch, the Bulls were let down by their line-outs, tackling and execution on attack.
Picking the right team will also be a tricky task for White this week, having rotated a number of his top players last week due to resting protocols, which contributed to the Bulls losing their unbeaten URC record.
Boks such as Willie le Roux, Elrigh Louw, captain Ruan Nortjé and Gerhard Steenekamp didn’t feature at the Parc y Scarlets ground last Friday, while others like flank Marcell Coetzee, inside centre Kriel fullback Devon Williams could also make a significant difference against Benetton.
The Italian outfit are riding high at the moment after starting the URC with two defeats and a draw against the Scarlets, Glasgow and Leinster, having beaten the Sharks 38-10 at the Stadio Monigo and then dispatching the Dragons 31-21 at Rodney Parade in Newport, Wales on Saturday.
“Now we are going to need to play well against Benetton – not because we didn’t want to, but now it’s a question of being a little bit more desperate, a bit more clinical and understanding where we got it wrong,” White said.
“Concern is not a word I’d use, but it’s a trend (of falling off in the second half) that we have to try and change.
“It’s catching us because we start well and put teams under the pump, but when we’ve got our hands on their throat, we let them get out. But it’s all about learning and growing. In the last four years, no team have been unbeaten in this competition.
“So, it just shows you how tough it actually is to win week-in and week-out.”
Part of the second-half malaise was due to the lack of experienced figures on the pitch, with 22-year-old flank Reinhardt Ludwig assuming the captaincy once Akker van der Merwe and Grobbelaar were off the pitch.
That might see White call on some of those Boks who went home last week to take on Benetton.
“Even if I have sent them home, we are lucky enough at our club that we can bring them back next week,” the Bulls boss said.
“It’s not a fait accompli, because some guys have a week off. The Boks go into camp from next weekend, so it’s possible that we could get our Boks back.
“Just before half-time, we kicked and kicked and kicked, and then Cameron (Hanekom) gave a penalty away at the breakdown. So, they got a little spooked by the fact that they had done everything right, but conceded three points on the half-time whistle.
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“At the back-end of that game, there weren’t too many Springboks on the field. Going from what we had last week to the way we ended this week, there weren’t too many Springboks.
“It was inevitable that when we were behind the eight-ball, those things would be tested. But there is no other way you can put a player in that situation.”