Jake embraces 'difficult juggling act'

10/24/2024 06:44 AM

Director of rugby Jake White faces a welcome but complex challenge as the Vodacom Bulls continue to increase their Springbok representation, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.

Hooker Johan Grobbelaar and prop Wilco Louw were called up on Thursday to a 35-man Bok squad for the November tour, taking the Bulls’ current contingent to nine players in the national set-up – the second most from any South African team after the Sharks (11).

The pride in producing Boks comes with the added responsibility of managing player workload and SA Rugby’s resting protocols, a significant shift from White’s early days at Loftus Versfeld.

“I’m very happy. But with it comes a difficult juggling act,” White told reporters in a Bulls team announcement conference from Treviso ahead of Friday’s Vodacom URC clash against Benetton. It’s the Herd’s final game of a three-week European tour, and last round of this block of URC matches before the international break.

“When I got here [in 2020] it was just basically Duane Vermeulen and Trevor Nyakane. It’s a unique time for us. I don’t want to make you think that I’m sounding down; it’s just a different scenario and feel to what’s happening in and around our team at the moment.

“There's nine [Bulls] Springboks that are going to be joining the Springbok group on Saturday and that's wonderful, really wonderful. The Bulls pride themselves on producing Springboks for the country. With that comes an added ball that you have to juggle, but we'll get there."

The 14-cap Louw’s recall, after his last Test appearance in 2021, particularly pleased White. “It’s the pinnacle of every South African rugby player to play for the Springboks; when I told him he was very happy. He was planning on going home [after Friday]… but his wife understands, thank goodness!”

The Bulls’ development of leaders, meanwhile, has been tested recently, with two red cards – both subsequently rescinded – requiring composure under pressure.

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“The captains that are coming through and the young players who are having to step up and experience those situations… it’s one of those things that you can’t practise or simulate,” White explained. “What are the chances of a team getting two red cards in two consecutive weekends and both of them rescinded?

“That’s got nothing to do with whether the players are good enough, or the team is unhappy or happy. That comes with circumstance and what that does is creates lessons that make you so much stronger.”

White has focused on developing multiple leaders within the squad, with returning captain Elrigh Louw supported by experienced heads.

“He’ll probably be on the field at the end, but then I’ve got Akker [van der Merwe] who’ll be coming on and he’s been a captain, [Reinhardt] Ludwig will still be on the field who has been a captain,” he added.

“What I’m trying to do is create an opportunity and upskill a whole group of leaders so that if they’re on the field together they can help each other.”

Focusing on the Benetton game, White acknowledges the threat posed by the cosmopolitan Italian outfit: “If you go through their team there’s lots of Argentinians, they’ve got some Kiwis, some South Africans, they’ve got Zimbabweans.

“They’ve a really well-balanced squad and put players in certain positions that makes their squad so much stronger.

“They made the quarter-finals last year and we played really well to beat them. They recently beat the Sharks with a bonus point, and it doesn't matter which Sharks team that played, they would've taken a massive amount of confidence from beating a SA team at home.

“It’s going to be a tough game, like it always is, but we just have to find a way to play our best rugby.”

Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images

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