Vodacom Bulls' Director of Rugby Jake White said the game between the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks will be a great derby for South African fans who will get to see the majority of the available players who were victorious in France.
“We are going to have four World Cup winners running out for us and they are using their available World Cup winners as well. For the first time, the crowd will get the chance to see World Cup winners on the field and I am hoping that will be a great boost for the fans,”
On the match, the Vodacom Bulls mentor said: “It is going to be a tough match. Last year they beat us, so we are not taking anything for granted despite the starts we have both had.”
“Both teams will be looking for a win and every team wants to win their home game. Any away game is so difficult to win and we have seen the stats. Especially derbies, they are like double-swingers as well, if you get a win it’s like an eight-point swing because you take points from the game as well as points away from people in your conference.”
Asked about an injury update on Ruan Nortje, White commented: “He is not available this week but we are hoping for the best-case scenario which is only a couple of weeks (side-lined) but this is a great opportunity for someone else now.”
“Last week we had lost Grobbies (Johan Grobbelaar, Ruan Vermaak, Marcell Coetzee (through suspension), Johan Goosen (HIA) and Cameron Hanekom, all five guys who played the week before and yet we played so well so I am hoping for more of the same from whoever comes in, that they slot in and give us the same performance.”
On the challenge of the opposition and the team they are bringing up to Loftus: “It doesn’t surprise me; a lot of their players are world-class. I was looking at their backline, all of them are Springboks plus two of their reserves. It was only a matter of time before they got it right and we saw them scoring ten tries against the Dragons at home and I am sure they will be a lot more confident after they got a win.”