We haven’t won anything yet

The Vodacom Bulls secured a hard-fought victory over the Sharks in the URC semi-final at Loftus, yet Jake White was quick to remind everyone the job is far from done.

White’s charges booked their place in a second successive URC final after surviving three yellow cards to beat the Sharks in Pretoria on Saturday night.

Beaten in last season’s decider by Glasgow, the Bulls triumphed 25-13 and will face Leinster at Croke Park next week, after the Irish giants dethroned the Warriors 37-19 in Dublin earlier on Saturday.

“It’s a massive achievement to reach another final, but we haven’t won anything yet,” White said after the match. “This is just another step. We need to learn from tonight’s battle and prepare for an even tougher test ahead.”

Despite a strong start and leading 15-3 early on, the Bulls faced a tough challenge as the Sharks fought back, particularly during a tense period when the Bulls were reduced to 12 men. White highlighted their defensive stand in the final five minutes of the first half as critical.

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“We won that game in the last five minutes of the first half when we had 12 men on the field. There’s a bit of deja vu in that we had them down to 12 men, and we couldn’t break them down [earlier in the season],” the director of rugby said.

“It’s a massive win for us as we’ve now been to three finals in four years, and they didn’t look like they were going to score.

“That was excellence from a defensive perspective and the defensive group. Sometimes, you think you’ve won the game in the last minute, but it’s what you put in at certain times.

“You can imagine coming into the changing room after that; there would be a very different vibe if they conceded.”

White praised the team’s leadership on the field, especially given the disruption caused by the yellow cards and injuries, including the brief loss of captain Ruan Nortje and star forward Cameron Hanekom.

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“When you lose key players, others have to step up, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “That experience will serve us well going into the final.

“Next week’s final will be the biggest test yet,” the former Springbok boss added. “We’ll face a team with many internationals and British & Irish Lions, away from home. Our players want to be part of these big games – that’s how you get better.”

Despite the win in front of a passionate crowd of 47 214, celebrations among the Bulls players were muted. “We haven’t won anything yet,” White said. “Winning a semi-final is important, but the trophy is what counts. The players know that, and so do our supporters.”

White also singled out Bok scrumhalf Embrose Papier and Man of the Match Sebastian de Klerk while praising inside centre Harold Vorster for his combative display that helped contain midfield powerhouse Andre Esterhuizen.

On the injured Hanekom’s status, he added: “He’s just had a sonar [on his hamstring]. He’s upset, and that’s natural, but I said to his parents he’s 21, and when I started coaching, forwards of his age weren’t invited to Bulls training.

“If they were, they were generally cannon fodder for the old men to bash them on a Monday night.

“He’s talented enough to jump the queue, and he feels a bit down now, but there’s a lot more rugby he’ll still be involved in over the next few years.”

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images