Staff Reporter.
(AFP) – The Vodacom Bulls win on Friday night in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against Treviso may not seem like a massive psychological shift from the team, but in reality was a seismic statement that internally meant so much for the side.
After all, their recent overseas form has seen them look tame as they lost against Glasgow Warriors and Munster in the rain, and had coach Jake White defending the side’s away record, which has been less than exemplary in recent times.
Plus, given the history of the last time they played at Stadio Monigo was their own poor performance in the Rainbow Cup where Benetton shocked them with a comprehensive defeat that still haunts the Bulls today.
So while it may just seem as another fixture, it was a boost in terms of self-belief, and a recalibration of a season that has not entirely gone the way the Bulls would have liked it up to now.
To hear White say it was a “massive relief” underlines the happiness that the Bulls found their way to pull away in the second half, scoring five tries to one against a side that naturally makes you look bad on the field and takes you down to their level.
RELIEF CAME AT THE BEST TIME
That’s not a slight on Benetton, they do what they do well, but it was a relief for the Bulls to bury a demon that has been plaguing them since their entry into Europe, and one week before a four week break it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s a massive relief and I’m really proud of the players for the way they stuck together and got the reward for the work they put in at training,” White said afterwards.
“And it’s wonderful that it’s a bonus point win, I’m really happy. The second half was fantastic, after the first half when we did not finish our chances and gave them a couple of soft penalties through silly mistakes. I had a feeling that we would finish well because Benetton looked dead on their feet.
“The talk at halftime was that we’ve got them on the ropes, every time we got down their end, we could feel the ascendancy. We just had to keep going and bashing at the wall, and it did eventually break.
“From a game that could have gone either way, we won with forty points. Not many teams come here and win, so a bonus point win is really good.”
White added that the breakdown, where the Bulls bossed Benetton, was eventually the difference between the teams. Bismarck du Plessis, coupled with Marco van Staden and man-of-the-match and captain Marcell Coetzee, were exceptional at the breakdown and shifted the momentum to the visitors.
“Having Bismarck du Plessis, Marco van Staden and Marcell Coetzee together really helps at the breakdown, they are masters of understanding when to go in and what to do,” White said.
“I was very pleased with the defensive breakdown and we were also able to get quick ball, unlike the last two weeks. When we get go-forward ball, we play so much better.
“It’s a credit to the captain and the belief in the team. Sometimes these sort of wins can be a catalyst to jumpstart the season, turn it around.
“Coming off two losses in a row, 9-3 down away from home, how much more character can the team show? And it gets rid of what happened here last year in the Rainbow Cup final,” he added.
Now for a final push before the first phase of the tournament ends, and a big clash against the Sharks on Sunday and if the Bulls pick up another win, it will change their outlook going into a tough second phase – that includes European Cup action – in December.