The Bulls’ Grand Final defeat to Leinster in Dublin on the weekend may now mark their third final loss in four seasons, but Jake White and his side still deserve to be celebrated for their phenomenal consistency in the URC era despite his habitual downplaying of their talents.
Any blue-clad fans taking shots at trans-Jukskei rivals the Lions for their three Super Rugby final losses are surely a lot more silent now following the 32-7 hammering they took at Croke Park on Saturday, but although the Herd should have at least one URC title by now (the 2024 edition of course), their sheer bloody-mindedness consistency is the envy of most other teams in the tournament.
The Stormers remain the only URC championship-winning team South Africa has produced with one title from two Grand Final appearances, but though they’ve also bagged two SA Shield titles to the Bulls’ one, there’s an argument to be made that the title of Mzansi’s best belongs to the latter.
The Pretoria side finished fourth and sixth in the first two years of the competition respectively before securing second-place in the latest two editions. That’s unreal consistency, especially considering how quick White often is to minimise the strength of his side – something highlighted by Leinster boss Leo Cullen last week.
For all Jake’s talk about his franchise’s disadvantage when it comes to player spending, the reality is that the strength of the Bulls’ matchday squad is rivalled only by those of Leinster and the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
Are the Bulls really at such a disadvantage – a team with one of the most devastating packs on the club scene and names like Willie le Roux and Canan Moodie amongst the backs? A side set to be bolstered by the arrivals of Handre Pollard, Jan Serfontein, Marvin Orie and Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg next season?
Of course it is true that the immense wealth of powerhouse clubs like Toulouse, Leinster, Bordeaux-Begles and La Rochelle allow their stacked squads to compete in Europe and on the domestic front, which Jake is right to allude to. But while the European Rugby Champions Cup may remain something of an enigma for SA’s franchises and their coaches, the great successes of the Bulls in the URC make his constant downplaying of their ability eye-roll-inducing.
Love him or hate him, White is true coaching royalty and there’s every reason to believe his Bulls outfit, boosted by their latest signings, will come back even stronger next season. The good news for rival fans is that, when that does happen, it’ll become increasingly more difficult for him to talk up the strength of his opposition.
