Jake: Injuries are no excuse
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Jake White says the Vodacom Bulls will man up to playing four URC derbies in a row, and without key players such as Cameron Hanekom.
White's men host the Lions on Saturday at Loftus – their third consecutive derby in a four-match stretch that started with a victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on 25 January before a loss to the Sharks in Pretoria last week.
The Bulls are the only URC team navigating such a taxing schedule, and White is under no illusions about the challenge facing the Bulls as they gear up for a Jukskei rematch that precedes a visit from the Stormers next week.
Speaking during a team announcement conference on Friday, the Bulls boss told reporters: "I'm going to put things in perspective again: nine weeks away [from home] some players have had [this season], and then we came back and have to play four derbies.
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"There’s no other franchise in the whole top 16 that plays four derbies in a row. I’m not talking about SA teams – I’m talking about any team. Tell me any team in the URC where you have four derby weekends in a row and without a break, and playing teams that have weekends in between off.
"I mean there’s no ways that can be a bonus to a team that’s wanting to win."
The Sharks, Lions and Stormers have highlighted their growing casualty lists, yet White prefers to be pragmatic despite the absence of Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw and Johan Goosen, who are all sidelined for lengthy spells.
"You’ve noticed I haven't put a link out about how many injured players we’ve got because it doesn’t matter," he said. "Every other union wants to tell me [who's injured]; I’m surprised they didn’t put Carel du Plessis and Gert Smal on that list.
"But the reality is everyone is sitting in the same position. I sit here and I say to you, I’m a realist."
Among the Bulls' missing personnel is loose forward Hanekom, and White explained his non-selection for a second week on the trot.
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"[Hanekom] is still out, he's got a bang on his calf and you can imagine, his point of difference is his explosiveness and speed and if he's not at his best there's no use [picking him]," he said.
"But I didn't put a press release out that he was injured so you [the media] probably wouldn't have seen."
The Lions travel to Loftus buoyed by a win over the Stormers, and White is wary of their ability to raise their game against the Bulls.
"I’m expecting exactly what we get from them every time we play them," he added. "They lift their game against us. A lot of them live in this town and have been here as juniors.
"I expect them to want to, I suppose, prove that they can still also have been at the Bulls. Sometimes moving players from one region to another just brings out the best of them.
"We beat them with a bonus point [last month], but I also know that the scoreline didn't reflect the way that game panned out.
"They’re difficult to beat, and a lot of them have been tapped on the shoulder into the [Bok] alignment camp, which I’m sure is going to boost them as well."
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
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