Tricky juggling period awaits Bulls in URC playoff race

IOL News

02-05-2025

Jan-Hendrik Wessels Bulls front-rower Jan-Hendrik Wessels was the Player of the Match against Glasgow. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
Some Bulls fans on social media bemoaned the fact that the Pretoria side opted not to kick a late penalty at goal in last week's epic victory over Glasgow Warriors in Scotland.
The outcry came about as another three-pointer would've denied the defending champions a valuable losing bonus point.
It ended 26-19 at Scotstoun Stadium, which meant that Glasgow remained a point ahead of the Bulls on the United Rugby Championship log on 59, compared to 58 for the third-placed South Africans.
But there was method to the madness.
Coach Jake White explained afterwards that it was a case of securing the victory rather than risking a possible draw, as the ball could have bounced off the uprights or landed in Glasgow's hands, from which they could launch a counter-attack.
Imagine if the Scottish club scored from there and snatched a draw?
White added that the home side also had the necessary momentum after scoring two quick tries, and it was the end of a four-week tour where the South Africans were delighted to finish with three victories.
The other major reason was the fact that Glasgow's last two league matches are away from home against tough opponents: Benetton in Treviso and log-leaders Leinster in Dublin on May 10 and 17 respectively.
Benetton will be fighting for their lives in the playoff race as they are currently eighth on 41 points – only ahead of ninth-placed Munster on points difference – after being dismantled 56-5 by the Stormers in Cape Town last weekend.
So, even if Glasgow somehow pull off a win in Italy, it is unlikely to be with a four-try bonus point.
Then they take on Leinster, who may already have secured the No 1 spot by then, but wouldn't want to lose easily on their home ground.
In contrast, the Bulls have two 'easier' league fixtures remaining, both at Loftus Versfeld: Cardiff on May 10 and Dragons a week later.
The Dragons are last on the log with just a lone victory in 16 matches, so they won't pose much of a challenge.
But Cardiff have been rejuvenated in recent weeks, pulling off a sensational 26-21 win over Munster in Wales last weekend, having beaten the Ospreys 36-19 away a week earlier.
Cardiff are now suddenly fifth on the log with 46 points – with eight wins out of 16 matches.
They are a point ahead of the Stormers, so they would want to end as high as possible on the log to avoid facing Leinster, Glasgow or the Bulls in the quarter-finals.
White mentioned after the Glasgow win that the Bulls' 'destiny is now in our hands, which is fantastic'.
But that is not entirely true, as Glasgow are still a point ahead of them and will stay second if they produce bonus-point wins over Benetton and Leinster away.
That is highly unlikely to happen, though, so perhaps White is right in a way.
He will be banking on his confident team to beat both Cardiff and the Dragons in Pretoria, but can they grab four-try bonus points in both?
Dragons, most definitely. But Cardiff will be much tougher to beat next Saturday at Loftus, so a bonus point is far from guaranteed.
White rightly praised his team for their 'resilience' shown on a tough four-week tour, where they beat Bayonne and lost to Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup, and then saw off Munster in Limerick and Glasgow in Scotland in the URC.
But now the tricky part will be to find a balance between preserving the players for the guaranteed home quarter-final, and possible semi-final and final, and ensuring there is necessary continuity.
The Bulls are enjoying an off week this week, face Cardiff and Dragons in two consecutive weeks, and then have another week off before the quarter-final.
Perhaps picking the strongest possible team against Cardiff on May 10 might be the way to go, and then some of the top stars such as Cameron Hanekom, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Marcell Coetzee, David Kriel and Devon Williams could be rested against the Dragons so that they can be in prime condition for the May 31 quarter-final.
Wilco Louw Bulls prop Wilco Louw (right) has been in top form, but will need to be rested before the playoffs. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
The Bulls are already without star Bok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, who is on a sabbatical on Japan, and can't afford to lose key players for the playoffs.
Veteran utility back Willie le Roux's return off the bench against Glasgow was a real boost for the squad as he can feature in various positions over the next few weeks, while flyhalf Johan Goosen was also in top form against Munster and Glasgow.
But after losing in the 2022 and 2024 finals, the Bulls must do everything possible to clinch that elusive URC trophy.
Hopefully for them, it will be a case of third time lucky.
'It's a very talented Bulls team. I'm not just saying it as the coach. There's 17 or 18 guys included in the (Springbok) alignment camp, so the challenge for me is to find a little bit extra in terms of cohesion and desire to do well,' White noted after the Glasgow win.
'Are we a good team? Yes. Can we win games if we're all on song? Yes.
'What's nice is that we've proven our away games are as good as our home games at times. That would be the thing that I am most pleased about.' Bulls Remaining Matches
May 10, 4pm: Cardiff, Pretoria. May 17, 3pm: Dragons, Pretoria Glasgow Remaining Matches
May 10, 6.15pm: Benetton, Treviso. May 17, 8.35pm: Leinster, Dublin
Playoffs – Quarter-finals, May 31: Bulls in Pretoria. Semi-finals: June 7. Final: June 14 URC Top 8
1 Leinster Played 16 Won 14 Points 67
2 Glasgow P16 W11 Pts: 59
3 Bulls P16 W12 Pts: 58
4 Sharks P16 W11 Pts: 53
5 Cardiff P16 W8 Pts: 46
6 Stormers P16 W8 Pts: 45
7 Scarlets P16 W8 Pts: 43
8 Benetton P16 W8 Pts: 41