Vodacom Bulls head coach Jake White before the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Vodacom Bulls at Kingspan Stadium on 25 March 2023 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo: Ramsey Cardy / Sportsfile / Gallo Images) 
The Bulls continue to search for answers after a heavy Champions Cup playoff defeat by Toulouse. The 33-9 loss brought an end to their European campaign, and marked the franchise’s 10th consecutive defeat across all competitions.
Director of rugby Jake White has attempted to put the situation into perspective. The Bulls may yet qualify for the United Rugby Championship (URC) playoffs – provided that they bank sufficient log points in their last two league games against Zebre and Leinster – and go on to surprise a few of the better teams in the knockouts, as they did when they beat a star-studded Leinster side in Dublin last year. The season is not over yet and White and company are determined to finish it with a trophy.
Believing in miracles
Though that outcome seems unlikely, you wouldn’t blame fans for believing in miracles. South African teams have developed a habit of exceeding expectations.
The Springboks were written off after losing to New Zealand in the first match of the 2019 World Cup, yet went on to win that tournament. The Bulls were given no chance ahead of the clash against Leinster last year, and few expected the Stormers – plagued by off-field issues for some time – to go all the way and lift the URC trophy.
Rassie Erasmus turned South African rugby around when he joined the Boks in 2018, taking them from seventh to first in the world rankings in the space of two seasons. White had a similar impact when he joined the Bulls in 2019, and resurrected the franchise to the point where they won back-to-back Currie Cups and re-established themselves as the pre-eminent South African rugby franchise, on and off the field.
There was nothing miraculous about those turnarounds. Erasmus and White surrounded themselves with the right people and put the right structures in place to foster a winning culture. Eventually, the Boks and Bulls won consistently and found themselves in a position to win trophies.
Fast forward to the present, when the Bulls are no longer the pre-eminent franchise in South African rugby and – thanks to recent results – are in no position to expect a trophy.
We may see the odd upset in the coming weeks, but when the coaches and players reflect on the 2022/23 season, they will lament the team’s inconsistent results and their wretched record away from home.
There are external factors that have diluted their potency – more on that later – but all and sundry will know that they haven’t performed at the expected standard.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SH_13855137bv.jpg "Toulouse's Thibaud Flament scores his side's third try, Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16, Le Stadium, Toulouse, France, 2 April 2023. (Photo: James Crombie / INPHO / Shutterstock / BackpagePix)")
Dissecting the slump
The Bulls’ season can be divided into two.
Between September and mid-December they won seven out of nine URC matches, and the first Champions Cup game against Lyon in Pretoria. From the outside, it appeared as though the platform had been built for a successful season.
A week later, White selected a second-string side for the Champions Cup clash against Exeter Chiefs in Devon. It seemed wise, given the length of the season and pressure on coaches to manage resources.
As it happened, the Bulls were humiliated in that 44-14 loss to the Chiefs, and the result marked the start of a rotten run that included 13 defeats in 15 matches. Although they beat the Chiefs at home on 14 January, the subsequent 31-7 loss to Lyon in France initiated a 10-game spiral.
Over the past three months, they’ve lost two Champions Cup matches, four URC games – including narrow home defeats by the Stormers and Lions – and four Currie Cup fixtures. The 63-15 defeat by the Pumas marked a new low for the union, and the 32-28 loss to the Griffons in Welkom was another unwanted first.
Last year’s result against Leinster in Dublin aside, the Bulls have struggled in overseas fixtures ever since the days of Super Rugby. This season, they’ve recorded just two wins in nine matches staged in Europe. With this in mind, the most recent capitulation in Toulouse did not come as a surprise.
External factors hold teams back
Throughout the season, White has highlighted the logistical challenges of travelling to Europe via the Middle East – because of an arrangement with the tournament’s sponsor – and the impact that has had on team performance and player welfare.
It remains to be seen when these problems will be addressed, as they continue to compromise all South African teams competing in tournaments during the northern hemisphere season, and the Boks when the Test programme runs from July to November.
The 2022/23 season marked the introduction of a much-needed 32-game cap as well as a mandated eight-week rest period. Until there is a global season, with franchises and the national team aligned – and with players enjoying an off-season – coaches will have to find a way to rest top players while remaining competitive across the URC, Champions Cup and Currie Cup.
It’s a tough regulation during the middle of a campaign, and, as seen in recent months, has compromised a few teams in their quest for consistent results. The Sharks boast the largest number of Boks and have struggled without many of their stars during the mandated period of rest.
Between early January and late March they lost seven out of 11 games across the three competitions. They’ve been rightly applauded for performing in the Champions Cup, but a 50% win record in the URC sees them languishing in eighth spot on the table, with plenty to do to get a playoff place.
There have been other challenges in recent months, when White withdrew because of illness and the Sharks introduced a new director of rugby, Neil Powell, and coaching structure. Disruptions and changes are bound to influence performances.
That is not to say franchises aren’t partially accountable for recent results. The defence of both the Bulls and Sharks has been woefully inconsistent, and the Bulls’ poor discipline has seen too many penalties and cards.
Even if wider issues afflicting South African rugby were to be addressed ahead of the new season, and White and company get their wish for an increased salary cap and larger squads, the Bulls would have plenty to rectify in temperament and approach.
Shot at redemption
Coming weeks will provide a shot at short-term redemption. The Bulls will have the opportunity to build momentum by playing Zebre – at the bottom of the table – and possibly a second-string Leinster, who have already secured top spot – at Loftus Versfeld.
If the Stormers clinch second position and the Bulls finish in seventh place, White’s side will head to Cape Town for a quarterfinal as underdogs – although, as their overseas record suggests, the Bulls may prefer a playoff in South Africa rather than in the more challenging northern climes. DM168
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.
