The Vodacom Bulls are the last remaining South African hope in the EPCR Challenge Cup after both the Emirates Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks bowed out of action with losses this past weekend.
The Bulls will face Edinburgh in the early EPCR Challenge Cup quarterfinal on Saturday and will come face to face with Sean Everitt, who, until he left for Edinburgh, was one of White’s assistants at the Bulls. Everitt’s time at the Sharks will give him a clear idea of what to expect from the Bulls this weekend as he looks to take his team a step further in the Challenge Cup as well.
Also, knowing that they are the last remaining SA team standing creates a bit of a quandary for White, as he has two very important games in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship against Munster and Glasgow Warriors away from home after this, so player management will become an important factor this week for the side.
The stand-out players for the Bulls were captain Marcell Coetzee, who led from the front and was an easy man of the match candidate, while Akker van der Merwe and David Kriel both stood out as well.
The Bulls showed a lot of fight in their ability not only to handle the hostile atmosphere in Bayonne but also the challenge that the French side brought.
It was strange to say, but the Bulls kept their cool while Bayonne lost their heads at times, arguing almost every decision with the referee.
And the way the Bulls handled that was something that made White smile.
“The one thing I enjoyed the most is just how we handled the crowd. It’s a big learning curve for South African sides when they play in France,” White said afterwards.
“It’s unique, and especially this Basque region. It’s generally a very tough place to come and play good rugby. I really enjoyed the way we embraced the atmosphere and the way that we started.
“We scored some wonderful tries, and that is also very good for us because it’ll give us confidence. To get a result like that with the way we played is fantastic.
“I can’t underplay the fact that when you’ve come to this region of France, it's rugby country, and you can feel it. It’s an honour, and it’s important for our players too, because for a lot of them, this is the first time they’ve been to this part of the world.”
