Bulls coach Jake White admitted his players could have been more aggressive in their decision-making against the Stormers this past weekend.
In a match that was tense down to the final whistle, the Pretoria franchise would go down 19-16 to their southern rivals at Loftus Versveld on Saturday. The Test match atmosphere, wet conditions, and an unusually dodgy lineout saw the Bulls opt for more shots at goal.
Speaking to the press, White admitted that he trusts his players on the field, he wished they had gone for the lineout more often.
“In hindsight, maybe we should’ve been brave in the first half to put them under pressure and go for the lineout,” said the World Cup-winning coach.
“That’s easier said when you look back at the game. At 65-odd minutes when we were leading because of that [Ruan Vermaak] try, everything would’ve almost been the way we planned it.
“We’ve got Willie [le Roux], Nizaam [Carr], [Reinhardt] Ludwig, and David Kriel to come together and make a decision.
“I’ve got to trust them too; otherwise, if I sit on the roof and I put up an orange or green light, I’m not really being fair to them.
“Maybe we should’ve been braver from the beginning and kicked to the corner. It’s interesting what might happen then.
“Your lineout probably becomes better too because you throw in more times. They probably won’t compete on their try-line because they’re scared of the maul.
“In hindsight, again, maybe we’ve got to be brave when we play against anybody because we’ve managed those factors very well in the past couple of years.”
Despite the loss, the Bulls are sitting pretty in third place on the URC table. They next face perennial table-toppers Leinster on 22 March.
