Jake White is one of the more sprightly 61-year-olds around, but even he is feeling the effects of the maverick rugby genius that is Willie le Roux.
The Bulls boss was able to smile and said that he was “going to enjoy tonight” after a heart-stopping finish to Saturday’s 33-32 United Rugby Championship win over the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium.
The Pretoria side were on top for large portions of the game, but made some frustrating errors that White warned would be addressed in Monday’s video session as they allowed the Stormers to hit back in the second half with tries by Evan Roos and Warrick Gelant.
Then, just when the Bulls seemed to have sewn up the bonus-point victory, Stormers flank Ben-Jason Dixon scored a last-minute try – only for Clayton Blommetjies to miss a fairly easy conversion.
Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Harold Vorster and Ruan Vermaak scored the Bulls’ tries, while David Kriel slotted two conversions and three penalties.
White was relieved afterwards and expressed his delight that the Bulls have now won seven out of nine URC matches, having only played at home twice.
They will now host the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (5pm start), but one major conundrum is whether Le Roux should stay at flyhalf ahead of Boeta Chamberlain and Jaco van der Walt, in the absence of the injured Johan Goosen.
The veteran Springbok fullback produced a mixed bag against the Stormers, pulling the strings with his passing game and a few terrific tactical kicks.
But White felt there were also moments that the 35-year-old Le Roux didn’t always take charge.
“I’m not sure that I want to leave him there, because he is making me bloody old!” White quipped.
“He wants to throw passes and all that, but I’ve also got to trust him that he has a feel for what his skill-set is.
“At times, good. At times, he looked like a fullback who was trying to slot in at 10.
“It would be unfair for me to go, he was bad or good – I always knew there was going to be good and bad in the fixture, and the Stormers were always going to ask questions that no other team would ask us anyway.
“And the reason I also moved him to flyhalf is that I didn’t have a captain. I lost Ruan Nortjé and Elrigh Louw, and if he plays fullback, he’s just too far (back) – and I needed him a bit closer.
“There were times it worked, and there were times when he wanted the ball and there were times he didn’t want it, and he just stood there and let the ball bounce between him.
A thriller right to the very end 🍿
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The Vodacom Bulls hold on to win in Cape Town 👏👏#VURC pic.twitter.com/uV8q7n4R2x
“Now, I’m going to ask him: if you want it, you must take it. You can’t only have it when you want it.
“He’s always a 10, so the more he plays there... I’m sure if I always move him around, it’s not going to be easy – sometimes he needs to settle into that 10 berth.”
But White couldn’t restrain his joy about the triumph, which is the second one in a row for the Bulls over the Stormers, following seven consecutive losses previously.
“I do think there were times when it did go off plan – completely off plan,” the former Bok coach said.
“I would think that collectively, yes (they stuck to the plan). But when it did go off plan, we looked like a schoolboy side.
“It is difficult here. You get asked why you got delayed at the airport – that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world!
“Everything here, the whole vibe, is different – and I applaud you guys, because you obviously as media are very, very passionate about your team, and you are very passionate about the fact that you will make it as difficult as possible for every opposition team and coach that comes here.
Akker van der Merwe = The runaway train 🚂💨@Vodacom #URC | #STOvBUL pic.twitter.com/0lmABcjpbt
“You will ask questions that are those kinds of questions. But I will say to you: I’m going to enjoy tonight, guys!
“Sometimes you wait a long time for some things to turn. I spoke to Andries (Bekker, Bulls forwards coach), and they couldn’t beat the Bulls for a long time when he was here.
“And when they beat the Bulls, that cycle changed. So, who knows – maybe seven is my lucky number!”