Chris Smith (left) celebrates his attempt.
- Bulls coach Jake White was full of praise for his side of youngsters and fringe players who beat Lyon on Saturday.
- The Bulls sat out most of their first-choice players, who are likely to return against Exeter next weekend.
- White was particularly pleased with the desperate defensive effort displayed after the buzzer with the game on the line.
They were labeled a ‘B-team’ on the week, but manager Jake White was immensely proud of his Bulls team who earned a thrilling 42-36 win over Lyon of France in their first European Champion Clubs’ Cup game in Loftus on Saturday.
The Bulls now head to Exeter for their second clash of the competition next weekend, where a much tougher test is expected as first-team regulars are likely to return.
With a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the defending champions Stormers scheduled for Friday 23 December the following weekend also on the cards, White tested the Bulls’ depth for this clash against the winners of the European Challenge Cup last year.
It seemed like something of a gamble on the surface, but considering the demands of the prop list and all the traveling the Bulls will be taking over the next few weeks, it now seems to have been a coup.
This was a very young Bulls team, and there were names included that the average South African rugby fan might not be familiar with.
However, after 86 minutes of action-packed, sometimes frantic rugby, the job was finally done.
The Bulls had taken a 28-0 lead within 25 minutes, but Lyon struck back and the game ended with the visitors attacking for a game-winning try.
There were two 5-meter lineouts well after the buzzer but the Bulls held on, and White said after the game that he was particularly pleased by those last-ditch efforts.
“I’m very happy with the win and the way we played in the first 25 minutes, it’s some of the best rugby we’ve played since we’ve been together, but the last 5 minutes where we defended taught me a lot,” he said. White.
“Keeping them out for five minutes I think is a phenomenal effort. These are young guys, and it’s phenomenal for them to do what they did at the end.”
“That will make them so much better. I’m very proud of the win, but the last five minutes showed me a lot about the culture and understanding of winning at a club like this.”
White then expanded on the challenges that come with competing in three competitions – the Currie Cup, the URC and the Champions Cup – over the course of one season.
“A South African rugby player, according to MyPlayers [the SA players’ body]he is only allowed to play 32 rugby matches in a year,” he said.
“When you do your sums, there’s no way the same group of players can play Currie Cup, URC, Champions Cup and for some of them test matches. It means you could go to the bottom of a competition where SA Rugby say they we can’t play against them.
“I’ve made the plan and I’m going to stick to it.”
White said he had a “good problem” that some of the younger, fringe players had put on a match-winning display at the highest level.
“These guys who just beat Lyon are looking forward to going out there and playing Exeter next week, but the plan is clear and the guys have agreed to it,” he said.
“Apart from injuries, I’m going to try everything I can to get two teams that are competitive and can win.
“It’s a fantastic position to be in as a manager. Every one of these guys will tell me they want to play as many games as they can right now.”
“You look at a guy like [scrumhalf] Bernard van der Linde, who was the man of the match, and he hasn’t played rugby for years. I have zak [Burger] and embroider [Papier] they’ve played very well, so it’s a good place to be when you’ve got players breaking down the door.
“We’re in a good place.”
Meanwhile, the Sharks beat Harlequins at home in their Champions Cup opener on Saturday, while the Stormers lost to Clermont.
