White faces massive test of character this week

Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White faces one of his biggest tests of his career as he takes his team into a crucial Investec Champions Cup clash against Castres in France this weekend, knowing their campaign is firmly on the line.

Defeat against Saracens in the opening round wasn’t entirely unexpected given the weather and travel, but the way the Bulls squandered so many scoring chances against Northampton Saints to lose at home at Loftus Versfeld - despite almost 70 per cent possession and territory - left White frustrated.

That frustration was turned into disbelief when the Bulls again squandered chances to beat the Hollywoodbets Sharks in their final Vodacom United Rugby Championship match of 2024 in Durban, with White likening himself to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and publicly asking himself if he had did something wrong with the way the squad approached the fixtures.

COLD HARD FACTS

The cold hard facts show that the Bulls are now on a three-game losing spree, something almost unthinkable after their extremely positive start to the season. But while that stat will make the coaching staff nervous, and working harder to make sure there is a turnaround plan, White knows that sometimes these things are beyond a coach's control.

Winning is a habit, as the saying goes, and so is losing. White will know that the side had produced more than their fair share of chances in the last few games and have had a number of tries disallowed for small errors.

The key will be to find that missing element that seems to deny the Bulls victories they have technically earned, but not been able to hammer home on the scoreboard. And it isn’t the first time this has happened.

The infamous loss against the Sharks in the Currie Cup, where the Bulls couldn’t beat a side down to 13 men, and lost in extra time comes to mind. There is something deeper afoot in terms of execution, and the Bulls know they need to find the answer soon, or it could affect their entire season.

LOFTUS NO LONGER A FORTRESS

The reality of the start to 2025 is that the Bulls can no longer count on Loftus Versfeld as their fortress. In the last 12 months Munster, Glasgow Warriors and Northampton have all won games at the stadium that the Bulls would normally have pencilled in as their own.

Their away record has gotten better in the URC, with wins over Ospreys and Connacht a particular highlight at the end of the year, but the last three games has given the impression that while the Bulls attack is still pretty decent, there may be other factors at play that have hampered them.

On the positive side, their scrum is one of the strongest in the business, as the demolition up front of the Sharks and Saints proved. Their back row has saved them more than once and Cameron Hanekom almost saved them on his own against Northampton.

BACKLINE CONCERNS

But in the backline the concerns are more than justified, with the Bulls not possessing a 10 that can dominate the game and Johan Goosen looking more and more disinterested with every game.

There is no doubt the team are missing the talismanic qualities of Kurt-Lee Arendse, who always added a try or two in every game, and seemed to inspire his teammates, but this stutter cannot be put down to one player alone.

Instead, it seems there is little fluidity at times in the backline, and whether that is confidence, or personnel White will have to figure out.

The break would have given a number of fringe players a chance to recover from injuries, and in a 12-month season that seems to never end, this could be valuable.

But the task of heading north so early in the year, in conditions that are likely to be freezing and demand a tactical game, are immense for a side on the back foot.

CASTRES WON’T BE EASY

Castres beat Pau this past weekend in the Top 14 and are third in the pool that the Bulls sit at the bottom of. Their gutsy win against Munster in Round two should be something the Bulls will take note of, and travelling to the home ground of a French club will never be easy.

But the losses in the opening two rounds mean the Bulls have to take the hard road now, and have to find a way to win.

A loss will most likely send them to the EPCR Challenge Cup or even worse, out of the competition altogether. The convoluted format means they can also still qualify for the Round of 16 via the back door with a loss, and are likely to be there with a win.

Yet, their seeding in this case will be low, and they will likely have to travel to a powerhouse club away from home, making their task even more difficult.

So while the new year start may be upon all of us a bit sooner than expected, for the Bulls, it ranks as a very important week indeed.

And one they have to come up with a response after a disappointing December.