Keagan Johannes Bulls flyhalf Keagan Johannes slotted all seven of his goal-kicks to be chosen as the Player of the Match against Zebre. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
The Bulls are well aware that they face a “big task” against Edinburgh this afternoon, but are confident that they have the team to clinch victory in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals. The Pretoria side are the only remaining South African team in the competition, after the Lions lost to Edinburgh in Scotland and the Sharks went down to Lyon in France last weekend. Coach Jake White’s Bulls produced a superb performance to beat Bayonne 32-22 in their last-16 encounter in France last Saturday, and will be confident of knocking over Edinburgh at the Hive Stadium in Scotland (1.30pm kick-off) on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulls are on somewhat of an epic odyssey in Europe, as their tour started last week and will continue for at least another fortnight. Their next match is in the United Rugby Championship (URC) league against Munster in Limerick, Ireland next Saturday, followed by Glasgow in Scotland on April 25.And if they manage to beat Edinburgh today, they will have yet another Challenge Cup fixture in Europe on the weekend of May 3-4 in the semi-finals, before finally heading home to take on Cardiff at Loftus Versfeld on May 10.White, speaking during a press conference on Friday while on a bus to training, said spending time in the French coastal city of Biarritz last week has helped lift the mood in the camp.
“Last week’s win in France was massive. To get a win away in France is just a very different challenge for any group of players. That Bayonne side was fourth on the log in the French Top 14, and hadn’t lost at home this year,” the former Springbok coach said:
“It gives you massive confidence as a group. The winning feeling is something you can’t bottle. The vibe in the group is fantastic. Everyone is so upbeat, and we’ve just arrived in Scotland.
“We spent a week in Biarritz, and arrived in sunny Scotland. I can tell you that it’s really a nice environment, nice atmosphere, nice feeling of where we are as a group.“And we could still have three weeks on tour. That just says something for the group, and now we’ve got to take advantage of that momentum and use it in our favour now.
”The Bulls are desperate to win some silverware, having lost in the URC final to Glasgow in Pretoria last season, as well as to the Stormers in the 2022 final in Cape Town. They are third on the URC log at the moment with four league matches to go before the playoffs, while they are three wins away from clinching the Challenge Cup – which is similar to the Europa League or CAF Confederation Cup in football.
“We are very proud (to be the only SA team in the tournament). It’s not about Jake White, as I would think our Bulls supporters will be really happy,” White said.“Our team is still growing, but we are alive in a competition and get an opportunity to measure ourselves against a quality team. There are many international players in the Edinburgh side, and it’s away from home once again.“It’s a big task for our group, but we are very privileged and are looking forward to the game.“We are now two weeks away from home, but we had a good win last week and the momentum is with us.“This season, we’ve won six out of our 10 away games, which is actually very high. We are full of spirit, and we must make sure we play our best rugby in the last three weeks of each competition.”