Stormers v Bulls: Jake White draws inspiration from golf ahead of URC blockbuster

As the Bulls prepare for their blockbuster United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final against the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, head coach Jake White is finding inspiration from a unique place.

In a repeat of last season's tournament final that the Stormers won at Cape Town Stadium, the Bulls will enter as underdogs after finishing 6th on the URC log this season to the Stormers' 3rd.

This is the latest instalment in what has become an entertaining rivalry between White and Stormers coach John Dobson, with the latter having tasted success in the last five URC meetings between the sides.

A keen golfer, White recently played at Leopard Creek in Mpumalanga alongside Morne du Plessis and Schalk Burger Senior. He left his round with a golfing analogy when summarising the season so far.

White has been through several ups and downs with the Bulls since taking the reins during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and he compares that to what professional golfers experience when playing tournaments.

"It's a bit like when I coached the Springboks. You know what it feels like when you’re in that hole, and you will find any way not to go there again," he said.

"I remember in the Rugby World Cup in 2007, because we had struggled in 2006, it was definitely a motivating factor for us.

"Ernie Els said a part of what keeps him working so hard at the game is a fear of failing. You work hard so you don't have to go there. Ernie has hit the nail on the head with that.

"There are so many variables you have to go through in golf to win a tournament. You first need to play for two days to make the cut, and then the last two days to make sure you win the tournament. One of the things I've always said to my players is that in golf there is always pressure.

"The pressure is sometimes for the young golfer or rookie to make enough money and make the cut. Then you get the Ernie Els's and Tiger Woods's and the greats that don't worry about the cut. Their end goal is how they win the tournament.

"It's a very different pressure playing the 18th on a Sunday to win as opposed to playing on a Friday afternoon to make the cut to ensure you make enough money. I tell my players that we must always get to the point where we have the pressure of walking down the 18th on a Sunday with a chance to win the tournament."

After suffering a slump of 10 winless matches in all competitions this season, the Bulls have turned a corner in recent weeks and their 62-7 thrashing of a weakened Leinster side at Loftus last weekend built on that momentum.

"This season for me has been a little bit like playing on the Friday to make the cut, where for the past two years for this group it's been about walking up the 18th on a Sunday trying to win the tournament," said White.

"This season has been about are we good enough, why do I have the yips in my putting, are we going to make the cut, we're under pressure here. These are questions that have never been asked of this group of players.

"We had to make the cut, and we’ve done that. Now we have three games to win the competition. It's just like golf with two days now to win it. And in golf, the one who just makes the cut compared with the player who is six shots ahead, there is no guarantee the player in the lead is going to win the competition. So now it's a new competition.

"It's irrelevant how many games you've won out of 18, or if they've beaten you in the pool stages. The point is now who plays the best at the back end of the competition. That's why I've said all along, don't measure us halfway through the competition. The first priority when you sign up to any competition is to make sure you play in the playoffs. That's the bottom line."

White added that the Bulls will be viewed as outsiders on Saturday.

"Let me be clear, as the Bulls we still haven't done anything in the URC. In all probability, the odds will tell you the Stormers should beat us," he said.

"But all I can say is the resilience we talk about is much more meaningful to youngsters when it comes from a position of experience and having been through it.

"Sometimes, that's what a team needs to move to the next level."

Kick-off on Saturday is at 15:30.