White backs his Bulls for URC crown

Bulls Director of Rugby, Jake White, says his team are now better equipped than ever to push for the United Rugby Championship title.

White’s team have twice fallen at the last hurdle in the first three years of the competition, losing finals to the Stormers and Glasgow Warriors.

Despite this, however, he feels they are in the best shape yet going into a campaign, which begins on Saturday for them, when they take on Edinburgh at Loftus Versfeld.

“Everyone in our circles would accept (that) we have exceeded our expectations in the first three seasons having played in two finals, given we have had a very young and inexperienced squad,” he said.

“But we’ve made some good additions to our squad, who have blended in nicely and we also now have eight or nine players in the Springbok set-up for the first time in a long while. We have had relatively inexperienced players like Ruan Nortje, Elrigh Louw and Canan Moodie winning two Tests in a row against the All Blacks.”

White also points to a recruitment drive, which has seen the likes of second rows Cobus Wiese and Sintu Manjezi, flanker Nama Xaba and prop Alulutho Tshakweni come on board, along with former Sharks backs Boeta Chamberlain and Aphiwe Dyantyi. Written by Ntsako Mkhari