A frustrated Jake White is searching for positives as the Vodacom Bulls finished off this year with a third successive defeat in all competitions on Saturday.
The Bulls went down 20-17 against the Sharks at Kings Park in round 8 of the Vodacom URC. White’s charges now have a two-week break before they resume duty in the Investec Champions Cup on 11 January against Castres.
Speaking post-match in Durban on Saturday, White expressed his concerns about the Bulls’ performances while questioning whether there’s a disconnect between him and his players.
“It’s three weeks in a row now where we’ve had situations where we can put them [opponents] away. We basically dominated every single part of the game and never won it. It’s frustrating,” the director of rugby told reporters.
Drawing parallels to legendary football manager Pep Guardiola’s recent struggles, White suggested introspection might be necessary. Guardiola’s Manchester City has won just once in their last 12 matches.
“I’ve been listening with interest about Pep and how long he’s coached for and what he’s done, and for him to admit that sometimes he feels as though it’s got to be him,” White said.
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“I don’t think the players are not trying, and I don’t think the players are necessarily bad players. I just feel that we look like we’re swimming against a current all the time. I’m not sure whether I’m getting from them what I thought I’d get out of them this season.”
Despite leading 14-10 at half time on Saturday and dominating key phases of play, the Bulls made critical errors. White added: “When it’s on, we look fantastic [but] there’s little things; we kick when we should run, we run when we should kick, we get a penalty advantage and we give the ball back.
“That’s not them; I just don’t understand if we’re quite in sync, and it’s frustrating. And I go back to what Pep said, sometimes you’ve got to think: ‘Am I missing something?’”
Sitting top of the SA Shield and third overall in the URC standings, White remains optimistic heading into 2025 but acknowledged the importance of addressing recurring mistakes.
“I’m never going to say it’s panic stations; we’re top of the [SA Shield] log and played five of our seven games away from home, so there’s a lot of upturn that’s going to come in the new year.
“But like anything, it’s like if you make the same mistakes, that’s the frustration. We didn’t get beaten tonight – we lost.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
