The Vodacom Bulls will host Northampton Saints on Saturday in Pretoria at 15:00 (SA Time) in a round 2 fixture of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup.
The defence of the visitors could prove to be vital against the attack from the Bulls who clearly miss the presence of Kurt-Lee Arendse.
The Bulls wanted to use the Saracens game as a benchmark of where they stood in terms of the Champions Cup. Jake White was disappointed with his team’s response as Saracens (27-05) played the gale-force winds and poor conditions a lot better than they did.
On the other side of the world, their opponents on Saturday "stood up" defensively, limiting Castres to just eight points at Franklin’s Gardens. The lowest conceded by Northampton Sainst this season as the hosts triumphed 38-08.
The hosts will also have the comprehensive loss against the Saints in the quarter-final of the 2023/2024 Investec Champions Cup deeply engraved in their memory. The Bulls trailed by six points after the first half. However, the Saints shifted to fifth gear in the second half and won 59-22.
Jake White did not pull his punches at the post-match interview following their defeat against Saracens, citing his team's struggle to score points when the opportunities were there, as a huge concern.
“It was about taking chances when we were down in their half," White said.
“What they did well in the beginning is they kept us out for long periods and we didn’t finish as many opportunities as they did in the second half.
“Like I told the team, Saracens are a good team and know this ground like the back of their hands. I just think we weren’t clever enough in the first half to put points on the board and build pressure."
With Northampton waiting, White was not down and said he expected a response from his side.
“Everyone plays in a competition to be there in the backend and we’ve got three games left; we’ve got Northampton, Castres and Stade Francais. We win those three games, the chances are very likely we’ll be in the playoffs, or the top 16 at least."