White Reacts: It Could Have Been Worse
Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White has admitted that his team was comprehensively beaten in all facets of the game, reflecting on their loss to Leinster in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final on Saturday. He even suggested the scoreline could have been worse.
Leinster, who have been the dominant force this season, led 19-0 at halftime and ultimately secured a decisive 32-7 victory at Croke Park in Dublin.
The Bulls’ only points came from Akker van der Merwe, who dived over after impressive work by the front row forwards. This defeat marks the second consecutive year the Bulls have lost a final and their third in the last four years.
“It is the second, third final we have played in, and it’s like standing on the field watching another team lift the trophy,” said White, whose side lost to the Glasgow Warriors in last season’s final at Loftus Versfeld.
“Those are, I suppose, motivational moments that sportspeople take going forward. I think you have to understand; this is not a normal rugby team,” White continued.
“I think we are naive when we… I made a note in my book: they are 19 points up and they are bringing on RG Snyman [the Springbok lock who was named URC Players’ Player of the Season]. It is just a different league altogether.”
White added, “I said it in the interview, I think that’s why Leinster supporters are so disappointed because they were waiting for that 40 minutes for the whole year, and we just happened to get the 40 minutes that the Leinster supporters were waiting for the whole season.
“We couldn’t get our hands on the ball; they defended us. They started well, and after 19 minutes, they were 17 points up. That’s what happens after you’ve said, ‘don’t let them start well.'”
“What I would like to say to the Irish is, I don’t think they sometimes give Leinster enough credit; they are well-coached. I must say they have fantastic guys that I met. I saw Josh van der Flier, I mean, that is a world-class person.”
“All credit to them. I have praised them enough and I have said it many times. Since I started here at this level with the URC, they are the benchmark, and they showed that again.”
“We were never going to win that game once they got a 14-point start. Once you get that, I can’t remember any team that has come back from 19 down and beaten them.”
The other final the Bulls lost was in 2022 to the Cape Town side DHL Stormers, when this competition was rebranded to include South African teams.
“It is not ideal to now have three silver medals. We have got to try and find out how to turn silver into gold now,” said White, who will welcome Springbok pivot Handre Pollard next season in an aim to catch up with Leinster, having described them as the benchmark of rugby and a team fully loaded with internationals.
