The Vodacom Bulls may have lost two finals and are still to achieve their goal of winning the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, but it would be wrong to underestimate the amount of introspection and work behind the scenes that has gone in to trying to make this season a bit different and get over the line.
Their loss against Glasgow Warriors last season on their home ground at Loftus Versfeld was particularly hurtful for this group of players, and at the time it was a bit surprising to see their Director of Rugby Jake White say that perhaps it was him who was the problem.
That emotional response after a gutting loss was perhaps expected, but White surprised by changing a few things this past few months and reflecting on it ahead of Saturday’s quarterfinal against Scottish side Edinburgh, he believes they may have got it right this time around.
Only time will tell if he is correct in his assessment, but for a coach as experienced as White, who has won a Rugby World Cup, to feel the need for introspection, shows that the age-old learning process never stops, and it may well benefit the Bulls in the rest of the season.
INTROSPECTION ON HIS OWN COACHING METHODS
Reminded of that quote, White didn’t sidestep it, and said after that loss he had to look at himself and his coaching before starting the new season.
“No. I still think I'm the problem. What I meant is, and I say it because I can't blame effort and I can't blame anyone for that loss. I've got to look at myself as a coach. I said to you Pep Guardiola went from winning six titles to struggling at Manchester City. What changed?
“You can say it's injuries and is it management of those injuries? So, I look at where we are as a club and I can't, as a coach then, distance myself from the fact that it can't be me. There are things that I've done and selection choices I've made or recruitment choices I've made that I need to have learned from - either they have worked or didn't work.
“So, maybe the calls I made were why I said what I said after the final. Am I missing something? Am I? As a coach, you have to grow as well.”
WHO ANALYSES THE COACHES?
White referred to the amount of analysis that goes into the modern game, and said it would be wrong not to analyse coaching methods either.
“It’s an amazing thing, I can give you analysis on every player on which side he tackles, which side he misses tackles, how fast he runs, how many kicks he's made. Who does analysis of coaches?
“Who does analysis of whether what you do works? And I'm saying for me. So, I've got to reflect and go, maybe it's the way I do things. Maybe it's the way I could have changed things. Maybe it's the way.And I think those are the coaches that I think grow the most.
“I've been around long enough to know that you also need to be honest with yourself sometimes that you might be missing a trick or two. And sometimes it comes down to a bit of a fortune too.”
White said the emotion surrounding the death of former Bulls midfielder Cornal Hendricks was perhaps the bit of fortune the team need.
“Cornel's passing. Maybe that's the golden nugget we need for this group to take another step up. Maybe I need his friends to just play a little bit harder, just so that we can pull it through this year. Because we've been close. And I'm not always saying that it's someone's fault, but we're missing something.”
CHANGES MADE THIS SEASON
White said there had been a lot of things changed this season to get the team a little better and improve their chances of winning the tournament after coming so close.
“I think the one thing which stands out significantly is I've rotated the squad much more than I have in the last couple of years.
"If you look at how many players we've used, you look how many, there's definitely been a change in mindset from week to week, as opposed to being more conservative last year, a little bit more scared to put guys in. So that's the one area.
“The second area, I think, is that, just by time, people get better. So if you look, for argument's sake, I'm just using names, you look at (Johan) Grobbelaar, you know, who's now 25, 26. You look at (Ruan) Nortje, who's now 25, 26.They've been here five years.
“So over time, 20-year-olds are not as good as 25, 26-year-old guys? I think some of those changes have happened on their own as well, without me patting myself on the back and saying it's significant changes we made.
“Over time, guys that have been here longer, have worked together, have spent more time together, training, I think has had a cumulative effect of the fact that we're better anyway.”
HOW FAR ARE BULLS FROM THEIR PERFECT XV?
So how far are the Bulls from getting their team as close to perfect as they want it to be. White has a wry smile.
“I'll tell you on the 14th of June. That's when I can answer for you, you know?” he smiles, referring to the date of the URC Final.
“And I know it sounds cliché, but our biggest test will come is how deep we go into this competition and how close we come to winning it or winning it. That's how you get measured, you know?
"And that's why I said sometimes you've got to look at the way that you do things too as a coach. And that doesn't mean that I sit at night and fret about it, but I think also as a coach, I need to look and see what am I missing.”
Only time will tell if White’s changes bear fruit, and if the team can go all the way. They finished second on the log and have a home quarterfinal, and potential home semifinal. And with just weeks left in the competition the time to perform is now.
Or face another introspection after the final whistle like they did last year.