Jake: Bulls need offloads to stick to win the URC

THE Bulls will need to tighten their approach on attack and defence if they want to win the United Rugby Championship.

That was the verdict from coach Jake White after the Pretoria side scored six tries in their 38-31 bonuspoint win over the Ospreys in Swansea on Friday.

The Bulls played some inspired rugby at times, with their forwards shoving the Ospreys pack backwards in the scrums.

Centre Cornal Hendricks was the Man of the Match and grabbed a hat-trick, but that came on the back of the hard yards by the likes of Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Ruan Nortje and captain Marcell Coetzee.

They were physically dominant against Welsh Test stalwarts such as Alun Wyn Jones, Adam Beard and Tomas Francis.

“I thought we played really well. I thought there were times where the way we attacked, the shape we

attacked, the kind of speed we played with, the ruck speed and precision of understanding where to go and how to get back on our feet, was at times as good as any team we’ve played against this year,” said White.

However the Bulls allowed the Ospreys back into the game in the final quarter, when they went up 38-17 through Hendricks’ third try, which was set up by a line-break by fullback Canan Moodie.

They had to wait until late last night to see whether they will host a Loftus Versfeld play-off – it depended on the results in the Scarlets-stormers and Leinster-munster games.

“We had overlaps and never passed; we had a couple of maul opportunities on the tryline and didn’t convert.

“Canan gets the ball and knocks it on, didn’t release it and gives a

penalty away (in the Bulls 22, and the Ospreys went on to score),” White said.

“There were moments when we had overlaps and froze and didn’t pass, and there were times when we could’ve held on and we offloaded. But that will come. I can’t get cross with them…

“But if you’re going to win this comp, you are going to need those to stick, and need to do those in pressure situations.”

Points-scorers Ospreys 31

Tries: Jac Morgan, Luke Morgan (2), Sam Parry. Conversions: Gareth Anscombe (4). Penalty: Anscombe (1).

Bulls 38

Tries: Madosh Tambwe, Chris Smith, Canan Moodie, Cornal Hendricks (3). Conversions: Chris Smith (4).