Jake doesn't believe SA sides can win Champions' Cup

Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White underlined his belief that while it was a great thing for South African sides to be involved in the Heineken Champions’ Cup, he didn’t believe they had the firepower to win the tournament.

White was answering questions on why he decided to send a second-string side to England for the team’s second outing in the tournament this Saturday against Exeter Chiefs, and keep his first-choice players back in Pretoria preparing for the derby match against Vodacom United Rugby Championship champions, the DHL Stormers.

“We’re playing against teams who have a budget of R180 million compared to our R70 million. The list goes on-and-on of Saffers doing really well overseas and if we could find ways of bringing them into our regional squads then we would be fighting a gunfight with a gun,” White said at the team’s departure press conference on Monday.

“So I will choose the same sort of team as last week, because we have to travel back in economy class and then go to Cape Town to play the Stormers next Friday night. We will only arrive back midday Monday.

“I’m not trying to take anything away from an Exeter side we respect, but we have to make sure we’re at our best against the Stormers. I would like to do well in both competitions, but I am a realist.

“There’s no way we can beat Exeter away and then the Stormers away in less than a full week. We can only use the resources we have, if we were playing the Stormers in a different week then I would definitely take other guys.”

White questioned whether a South African side had the firepower to win, especially given the tournament structure meant SA teams would play playoff games from the quarterfinals away from home.

“For you to win the Champions Cup, you need to beat Toulouse, Leinster and La Rochelle on three consecutive weekends,” he said.

“I don’t want to be a defeatist, but you have to be realistic. Do we have the squads in South Africa that can match La Rochelle, Toulouse and Leinster on three consecutive weekends away from home?”

He added that anyone who thought this was possible was “disconnected from reality”.

“I would be amazed if any South African side will have the firepower. A one-off game maybe you can beat a top side. However, to back it up week-after-week at the end of a long season and play three teams that have a budget of R180-million, as opposed to a budget of R70-million, we are kidding ourselves.

“It doesn’t mean you go into every game saying: ‘It doesn’t count’. It also doesn’t mean I say the URC is more important. It is about using the resources that are at your disposal.”

White said the team had learnt lessons from their URC semifinal against Leinster last year where they travelled back to face the Stormers in Cape Town and were not at their peak, especially with flights longer because they are routed through Qatar, whose airline is one of the tournament sponsors.

“We played Leinster in the semifinal and travelled back economy class. We learnt a lot from that,” he said.

“We have the Stormers next Friday. There is no way we can fly via Doha, arrive Wednesday, play in Exeter, fly out Sunday morning and arrive here midday Monday and then expect us to be ready for the Stormers game”

White said that he wasn’t trying to say one competition was more important than the other, but he had to be a realist given the resources the Bulls have.

“This doesn’t mean we are going into the game saying it doesn’t count. It is about doing what we think is best for our group.

“We would like to do well in both the Champions Cup and the United Rugby Championship but we must also be honest with ourselves in understanding the demanding travelling schedule.”

“When Exeter comes to visit us in January in 40-degree weather, coming out of their winter, it will be a daunting task for them. Maybe then I will play my strongest team at home and it gives us a chance to find a way into the top 16 of the competition.”

The Bulls left on Tuesday night for England and will have one training session before facing the 2019-20 champions on Saturday.