News24.com | Tetchy Jake 'gatvol' of 0-5 losing streak talk: 'I'll be sick if I hear about it again'

Jake White. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile/Gallo Images)

• Jake White bordered on agitation when he stated that his Bulls need not take mental scars into Saturday's URC quarter-final against the Stormers.
• The former Bok coach said he would be "sick" if he heard any more talk of the Bulls' five-match losing streak against the Stormers.
• Due to the one-off nature of the fixture, White said that for 80 minutes on Saturday any history between the two sides is irrelevant. 

While Jake White did not downplay just how accomplished the Stormers are, the Bulls head coach grew visibly cranky over incessant talk that his troops, by virtue of a five-match losing streak, are already against the ropes before they run out at Cape Town Stadium for their URC quarter-final against the defending champions on Saturday.

That Western Province, lacking several first-choice stars, still managed to beat the men from Pretoria 31-7 in their Currie Cup match last weekend, also in Cape Town, didn't help matters.

"The Stormers must be favourites. If anything, they've beaten us five times in a row," said the former Bok coach.

"And if I hear that again, I think I'm going to be sick, but five times is what it is.

"Nonetheless, it’s absolutely irrelevant how many times they’ve won before. The players are in the right space. It's knockout rugby now, and a couple of months ago we had no chance of making the playoffs, if I read all the articles.

"It was all doom and gloom. We had, in everyone’s eyes, a poor season after ending sixth on the log. Some teams play really well and end up fifth and fourth. So, it’s a massive challenge, I am not disputing that.

"But it's a knockout game now, and one thing we have managed to do over time is to play really well in games that have counted, where we've had to win and knock people out of competitions."

READ | Marcell Coetzee's absence for Stormers clash confirmed, but Bulls don't regret his Japan sabbatical

Those words, naturally, bring with it memories of how the Bulls unexpectedly but memorably went to Dublin in last year's semi-final and toppled heavyweights Leinster.

This time there's the added narrative that a challenge in the Mother City, in relative terms, might be less demanding than in the Irish capital.

Well, White was having none of that.

"I think you’re being disrespectful to the Stormers if you say last year against Leinster was a bigger ask.

"These are champions, these guys won the competition. They've lost one home game in the last eight months. I would be disrespectful to the Stormers if I said last season's play-off was a bigger game." 

Asked whether last weekend's "dress rehearsal" in the Currie Cup raised more questions than answers when it comes to Saturday's assault on the Stormers' proverbial fortress, the Bulls mentor again didn't mince his words.

"I'm getting a bit tired of reading about us [over-employing] URC players in the Currie Cup. Seven men in our pack didn't play last week," he said.

"Everyone is using players from the URC team in the domestic competition, we're not the only ones. There are some guys who will play for the Stormers from last week's Province combination too.

"It's got nothing to do with different demands and different competitions. Last week, we had an opportunity to go to Cape Town and [learn a few things]. The field wasn't great, but still, it was an opportunity for us to experience playing at the stadium again.

"We have beaten SA A there a year or so ago, so we have played well there before. We used last week as a dress rehearsal, particularly in terms of the pitch, the hotel we're staying in, and the vibe. 

"We played in a final there too, and, like I said before, we played well enough to win that game I believe. This is hopefully the time for us to get a result."

Kick-off is at 15:30.