Latest news with #JakeWhite
The South African
a day ago
- Sport
- The South African
URC: Kick off times for semi-finals
The Bulls and Sharks kept the South African flag flying in a drama-filled knockout round of the URC this past weekend, and they will now face off in an all-South African semi-final in Pretoria this Saturday. To qualify for the final four, the the Bulls had to deliver under pressure in a competitive encounter against Edinburgh in Pretoria on Saturday to register a 42-33 victory. Meanwhile, there was drama in Durban, where the Sharks and Munster drew 24-24 after 80 minutes, which forced the match into extra time, and then a penalty shootout, which the hosts won 6-4. Log-leaders Leinster will face the Glasgow Warriors in the first semi-final, at 15:45 (SA time) at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin this Saturday after they defeated the Scarlets 33-21 in the other quarter-final. The Bulls and Sharks will then clash from 18:15 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria for a place in the Grand Final. Both home teams will be regarded as favourites going into the penultimate round of the competition, and both the Bulls and Sharks will certainly be determined to produce vastly improved performances. 'We didn't play particularly well in the first 20-30 minutes of the game, but then we got on top,' Sharks coach John Plumtree commented after the quarter-final. 'We had a couple of bad moments when they got to 21-10 and then we just clawed our way back in [to the game]. 'And going down to the kickers like that, I was just so proud of them.' Meanwhile, Bulls coach Jake White said that at least the team was consistently showing a fighting spirit. 'People think the team placed seventh must lose to the team that finishes second,' he said. 'But look at Leinster – they lost to Scarlets and us during the league phase and only just got through their quarter-final. 'We were down but got a [winning] result. Whereas the last time we played them [Edinburgh], we didn't.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Bulls and Sharks set up dream URC semifinal encounter
The Bulls and Sharks will face each other in a URC semifinal for the first time, but second in the knockouts after the Bulls won their quarterfinal clash in season one. Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth during their thrilling URC quarterfinal against Munster at Kings Park on Saturday night, that ended with the hosts winning via a penalty shootout. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images The Bulls and Sharks did what was needed in their quarterfinal match-ups to set up a dream United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal encounter at Loftus Versfeld this coming weekend. The Bulls recovered from a halftime deficit to defeat Edinburgh 42-33 in an 11-try classic on the Highveld, while the Sharks held their nerve in a first ever URC penalty shootout to triumph over Munster, after the two teams couldn't be separated at 24-all after 100 minutes of rugby. It was an early second half blitz from the Bulls that won them the match, after they went into halftime trailing 21-18, both sides having scored three tries, but with Ediburgh's kicker edging them ahead. But three more tries to the hosts in a nine-minute burst, all converted, pushed the Bulls into a 39-21 lead after 52 minutes, and despite a fightback from the Scottish challengers, it was enough to see out a comfortable win in the end for Jake White and his charges. Tooth and nail The Sharks on the other hand had to fight tooth and nail to earn their thrilling, unprecedented penalty shootout win over Munster. An early try to the Irish visitors saw them lead 7-0 after a scrappy first half, before the game burst to life in the second. The Sharks battled back to take a brief lead 10-7, before Munster hit back to go 21-10 up, only for the hosts to respond to go back ahead 24-21 late in the game, followed by the visitors striking a late penalty to level the scores. A scoreless extra time followed, leading to the kick-off, with Bradley Davids and brothers Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse slotting all their kicks, while Munster's Rory Scannell missed one of his, to see the hosts inch over the line. Munster fight Sharks coach John Plumtree hailed the efforts of his team, while praising the fight of Munster, in what ended up being a classic knockout encounter. 'We knew what we were faced with. They (Munster) are a proud group of players and a good rugby team. We knew it was going to be a tough one. They chucked everything at us. They can be proud of themselves and I guess it's a pity on a night like this that there has to be a winner (and loser),' said Plumtree. 'It was a tough battle, going down to the wire like that. I've never been involved in a game like this, so it was pretty dramatic. I'm sure everyone here really loved it. 'I am just proud of the boys. We didn't play particularly well in the first 20-30 minutes of the game, but then we got on top. 'We had a couple of bad moments when they got to 21-10, and then we just clawed our way back in. Going down to the kickers like that, I am just so proud of them.' Bomb squad Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth was proud of the effort of the team's 'bomb squad' whhich came on in the second half and put in a huge shift to help them battle back into the contest, while adding that his side had to improve ahead of a monster match-up against the Bulls. 'It was unbelievable. The scrums were great when they came on. They were good in the carries. We were down about 10 points, two tries behind and the guys fought back,' said Etzebeth. 'I think four of the last five games we have come from behind, so the guys are showing character. But hopefully we can be better and not leave it to the last minute. 'We won't celebrate much. Obviously it's a massive game going over to Pretoria. It's going to be a very tough and physical game. But the good news is that there will be one South African team in the URC final which is great for South African rugby.' The other South African team, the Stormers, went down 36-18 in their quarterfinal against Glasgow Warriors, sending the defending champions to Dublin for a semifinal meeting with Irish giants Leinster.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Bulls power through to semi-finals after Edinburgh threaten to rip up play-off script in Pretoria
Pretoria Bulls 42 Edinburgh 33 RETURNING home to South Africa, Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt enjoyed some dinner on Friday night with his Bulls counterpart Jake White. The pair are close friends and fired up the grill for a Braai, a traditional South African barbecue, at White's house just hours before this quarter-final clash in the United Rugby Championship. But it was Everitt and his Edinburgh players whose goose was cooked in Pretoria as the Bulls feasted on six tries to claim their place in the semi-finals. This was not the hammering that many feared it might be for Edinburgh. On the contrary, this was very much a case of what might have been. Everitt's side led 21-8 after half an hour thanks to two tries from Ross Thompson and one from Wes Goosen. They were in the process of ripping up the script. But the surroundings at Loftus Versfeld can do strange things to visiting teams. Perhaps it was the altitude of the Highveld and the thought of scaling such heights on the field, Edinburgh suffered a collective nose bleed. They collapsed midway through the game, conceding all six tries in the space of little more than half an hour, and three in little more than 10 minutes after half-time, before finding a second wind again near the end. There was a lot to like about their performance, a lot to be proud of away from home in such a testing arena, but the reality is that their season is now over. Knockout rugby offers no second chances and no pats on the back. Having been in such a commanding position after half an hour, the reality is that Edinburgh threw this one away. 'We started the game really well,' said Everitt. 'We looked really dangerous, caused the Bulls a lot of problems, and got ourselves into a lead. 'But then there was a 12-minute blitz from the Bulls where they scored three tries early in the second half to take the game away from us a little bit. 'I am really proud of the guys in terms of how they still fought back towards the end. It's been a long, tough season but we still kept going right until the end. We've improved a lot this year and we should be proud. 'Congratulations to the Bulls. They have got a home semi-final now to look forward to and they are a very hard team to stop when they have momentum.' Playing at such altitude on the Highveld, and with baking-hot sunshine beating down as the match kicked-off, this would be a test of Edinburgh's fitness and mental fortitude as much as anything. The Bulls had finished the regular season in excellent form, with six straight victories ensuring they came into the play-offs as one of the form sides in the competition. But it was Edinburgh who made the perfect start and took the lead on five minutes, just seconds after Bulls winger Sebastian de Klerk had been sin-binned for a high shot on Darcy Graham. Harry Paterson played a key role in the build-up as Edinburgh worked the ball out wide, with Hamish Watson eventually delivering the final pass for Goosen to score in the corner. The sense of shock among the home crowd when a rampant Edinburgh scored a second try on 13 minutes to race further clear. It was a brilliant finish from Thompson, with the fly-half waltzing through a gap and showing great footwork before touching down. The Bulls made a dent on the scoreboard thanks to a penalty from fly-half Keagan Johannes, before they finally clicked into gear and scored their first try on 19 minutes. It was their talismanic No 8 Cameron Hanekom who powered over from close range. Having made his international debut last year, it wasn't hard to see why 23-year-old Hanekom is viewed as the next big thing in the Springboks' back row. Credit to Edinburgh for the way in which they kept asking questions of the Bulls. Their enterprising approach was rewarded with a third try on 29 minutes. After James Lang made a good line-break, the ball was fed to Thompson and he darted over for his second try of the afternoon. Leading 21-8 after half an hour, Edinburgh were threatening a huge shock. But the Bulls came roaring back with two tries in the space of half an hour just before half-time. Veteran full-back Willie Le Roux broke through a gap and fed the prolific centre David Kriel to score, before his midfield partner Harold Vorster went over in the corner. From Edinburgh's point of view, the defending was poor. Ali Price, in particular, should have done far better to make a tackle and get Vorster into touch as he neared the try-line. But the Bulls were profligate with their kicking and another missed conversion ensured that Edinburgh still led 21-18 as the teams went in at half-time. But it was clear that the home side now had the bit between their teeth. Perhaps starting to smell blood, the Bulls took the lead just two minutes after the break when Springbok winger Canan Moodie scored after a lovely offload from Le Roux. Edinburgh were starting to wilt in the searing heat and energy-sapping altitude, with the Bulls making it a quickfire double when Johannes broke through a gap and raced away to score his team's fifth try of the day. Trailing 32-21, Edinburgh knew they really needed to find the next score if they were to claw their way back into the game. But the Bulls put the matter beyond doubt when skipper Ruan Nortje powered over from close range on 53 minutes after a period of sustained pressure. Edinburgh finally got going again when the ball was recycled quickly from a ruck and hooker Ewan Ashman crashed over on 59 minutes, with the Bulls down to 14 men again as lock JF van Heerden was yellow-carded. But Edinburgh's momentum was halted immediately when Magnus Bradbury fumbled the restart and gifted possession back to the home side, with Thompson then sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on shortly after. Another penalty from Johannes stretched the Bulls' lead to 42-28, before Edinburgh replied again when Goosen touched down in the corner after a flowing team move from the visitors. With Thompson off the pitch, it was Mark Bennett who took aim with the conversion but the ball sailed wide of the posts. A chaotic game rather fizzled out in the final 10 minutes, with the Bulls seeing it through for the victory. Having been chewed up and spat out, Edinburgh were left to ponder a missed opportunity.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Jake White: Bulls' previous loss to Edinburgh was a ‘blessing'
The Bulls coach said he was grateful his side had no space to feel overconfident as they take on Edinburgh in a URC quarter-final. The Bulls will have no room to feel overconfident after their defeat to Edinburgh during their last encounter, at Hive Stadium. Picture:Bulls director of rugby Jake White said he was thankful his team lost their last match against Edinburgh – the Challenge Cup quarter-final played in Scotland last month. The lessons from that 34–28 defeat at Hive Stadium provide more insight than a victory would have, as the Bulls prepare to face Edinburgh again in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final at Loftus this Saturday (kick-off 1.30pm). The teams clash for the third time this season after the Bulls emerged victorious at Loftus in September (final score 22–16). Head-to-head, Edinburgh have won three of the five games between the sides, though both teams have won every match played at home. Bulls might have been overconfident 'I think what is a blessing for us is we lost to them a couple of weeks ago. I think had we had beaten them there and maybe won easily then maybe there would be a feeling of 'gee, we whacked them or we beat them away',' White said. Had the Bulls done, so they would have made history as the first South African team to beat Edinburgh in Scotland. As it happened, the Sharks took that honour with an 18–17 win thanks to a last-minute try in the URC the next weekend. 'The blessing for us is that we lost to them [Edinburgh], and we gave them a good start. They were 24–7 up at half-time [and then 31–7 after 42 minutes]. So those lessons surely must be as clear as day. We cannot give them a 24–7 start and we can't just believe that we will beat them because they beat us the last time that we played.' When it comes to fast starts, however, the Bulls have led the way with 29 tries in the first 20 minutes this competition. But when asked about it, White said there is no magic formula and largely out of his hands. Edinburgh have top internationals who 'don't go away' White said Edinburgh were perhaps not a side that drew attention from world media but they probably have mroe international players than the Bulls do. 'I don't ever want you to ever underestimate the value an international cap does for a player. You look at how our players have grown. When you look at a guy like Ruan Nortje, when he got here compared to now. 'When you've played the All Blacks twice and beaten the All Blacks as a Springbok you must become a better provincial rugby player. It just happens like that.' White made mention of the extensive budget Edinburgh possess, making it one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. 'They have lots of British & Irish Lions players in that squad as well. There is no doubt that a person who plays for the British & Irish Lions or Scottish rugby… must be a better player than you sometimes give them credit for.' 'The most important thing that they can do is they just don't go away. It's not just against us, it's any games that they have played – they stay in the fight. This is a 'very different' play-off for Jake White White also drew attention to the growth of his players since their first URC campaign in 2021/22. They reached the final of that tournament, losing to the Stormers in Cape Town. They followed that up with a quarter-final exit in 2023 before reaching the final again last year, and losing to Glasgow at Loftus. 'I've done this many times, and I'm not saying this in an arrogant way, I've been lucky enough to experience these feelings of playing knockout games in different competitions. 'It's very different, this one. Because this group of players has exceeded expectations early on.' He said they played in their first final when the average age was about 23. 'I get the feeling we are maturing as a group.' He said while Willie le Roux joined the side to add experience, players such as Johan Grobbelaar, Ruan Nortje and Simphiwe Matanzima had clearly matured and developed their games. 'I feel the vibe is different. I feel the lessons they learnt are a lot more meaningful now because they've played together a lot more.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
WWF charity objects to Stow Bedon pig farm's planning changes
An environmental charity has objected to a pig farm operator's retrospective planning application. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has criticised food producer Cranswick's revised application for the Cherry Tree Farm site in Stow Bedon, Norfolk."This site represents farming against nature," said Jake White, WWF's head of legal advocacy, claiming the building of sheds not in the original application had "harmful environmental effects".Cranswick spokesperson said the changes to the original planning application - which was approved - had been recommended by the Environment Agency. Mr White said: "The WWF has deep concerns about the way in which the developer has assessed the significance of the emissions and the way in which nature impacts are addressed in the environmental impact assessment."He claimed the emissions were "damaging local highly protected sites for nature". In a statement, the Cranswick spokesperson added: "We have worked tirelessly to address the concerns raised through the Environment Agency and this has led to changes in the structure to meet the parameters of the permit."The council have had this revised planning application for over three years and even now, have requested further information."The changes made to the original approved application were on the basis of recommendations from the Environment Agency and utilise industry leading techniques for a farm of this type."We are working with the Breckland Council to address these queries but are incredibly disappointed with the length of time it has taken the council to respond to the application." Breckland Council said the application had been due to go to its planning committee in May, but had been postponed so officers could look at the "large volume of representations received". In April, a Cranswick planning application that would have seen more than 714,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs housed at a so-called megafarm in Methwold, Norfolk, was refused. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
