OPINION: A split-squad strategy might not earn the Bulls two titles, but it will ensure that they focus on the all-important United Rugby Championship.
South African rugby’s chances of winning the biggest club title in Europe were dashed after the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers failed to progress to the Champions Cup knockout phase.
The three franchises combined for zero wins across six pool matches staged in Europe, and did little to challenge the perception that South African teams struggle in overseas matches.
This past weekend, the Lions and Sharks went down in the first round of the Challenge Cup play-offs.
Meanwhile, the Bulls spared South African rugby’s blushes when they beat Bayonne 32-22 to advance to the quarterfinals.
It was a great performance and result in isolation, and certainly challenged the perception regarding the Bulls’ aptitude in foreign climes.
At the same time, it set the Bulls on a potentially precarious course as far as their season is concerned – and White’s management and leadership skills will be tested like never before in the coming months.
Let’s face it, the Challenge Cup tournament is not a priority.
Unless a team is attempting to qualify for the Champions Cup via the back door – as the Sharks did last season after winning the Challenge Cup – there’s no reason to devote time and resources to this second-tier competition, especially with the current travel demands and the ridiculously congested match schedule.
With the above in mind, I wondered if White had got it wrong when he took a strong squad to Europe from the outset, and picked most of his best players for the Round of 16 match against Bayonne.
Sure, the performance in Bayonne proved a point.
South African teams can win overseas matches when they pick their strongest combinations and when they take these fixtures seriously.
And yes, it will be great to see at least one South African team flying the flag in Europe, for at least one more week.
But with the challenge of the schedule looming larger than ever, I’m coming back to my original position.
Was it worth picking the best side in Bayonne, knowing that the Challenge Cup is secondary to the URC, where the Bulls are yet to nail down a top four place?
After Saturday’s match, White spoke about managing the squad over the next 10 games, and adjusting to the demands of travel as well as the vastly different conditions in Europe and South Africa.
White kept referring to the Bulls’ five-week tour of Europe.
Following the first two rounds of the Challenge Cup play-offs – they’re set to play Edinburgh in the quarterfinals this Saturday – they’ll face Munster and Glasgow Warriors in two crucial URC fixtures.
Thereafter, they may remain in Europe for another week, if they qualify for the Challenge Cup semifinals.
The reality is that the Bulls are already three games into a potential 13-match stretch.
Somewhere along the line, White will have to cotton-wool his best players and possibly sacrifice a Challenge Cup play-off.
One could have forgiven White for selecting a less experienced team for the first round of the Challenge Cup play-offs – as the Sharks did ahead of their trip to Lyon.
In that scenario, a weakened Bulls side may have lost to Bayonne, and returned to South Africa thereafter. Even if they had won, the same side could have been backed to tackle Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals.
The stronger combination, with the benefit of two extra weeks of preparation, could have departed for the two-match tour of Munster and Glasgow.
That Springbok-laden side would have returned to South Africa after the second URC game (regardless of the outcome of the Challenge Cup quarterfinal), and could have enjoyed a further week to prepare for the last two league matches in Pretoria.
As White has explained, they’ve opted to do things a little differently during a tricky period of the season. The bulk of the Bulls squad will spend four to five weeks overseas, and the tour will double as a team-building experience.
Let’s step back for a moment and consider where this Bulls side has been in recent years.
White desperately wants to win the URC. The Bulls have come close on two occasions, losing to the Stormers in the final staged in Cape Town in 2022, and more recently to Glasgow in Pretoria last year.
It’s highly unlikely that a coach as experienced and driven as White would compromise the Bulls’ quest for the URC trophy, and settle for the Challenge Cup title.
So, how will he manage his squad, with the overriding goal in mind?
The story continues below…
White cannot pick his strongest combination for 13 consecutive weeks.
Then there’s the travel factor to consider, and the fact that any team that features in both the Challenge Cup and URC final will be subjected to a particularly gruelling schedule.
The Bulls could be in Europe for five weeks until early May, before returning to South Africa for the last two matches of the URC league phase.
If they qualify for the Challenge Cup final, they will head to Cardiff for one week.
If they finish the URC league phase in the top four, they will return to Pretoria after the Challenge Cup final for the first round of the URC play-offs.
However, depending on other results, they may head back to Europe for a URC semifinal. It’s also possible that they could journey back to South Africa for the decider.
The tournament schedules, and indeed the wider rugby calendar, is an absolute mess.
That said, maybe White can achieve a measure of success on both fronts, with a split-squad strategy similar to the one employed by Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus in recent seasons.
Perhaps White should field his B team in the remaining Challenge Cup fixtures, and allow his A side to focus on the URC league fixtures that remain.
If the B team beats Edinburgh, they should enjoy a two-week break thereafter (while remaining and training with the wider Bulls squad in Europe). In that best-case scenario, the same combination should be backed for the Challenge Cup semifinal on May 3, and should play in the final two weeks later.
Those results may seem highly unlikely, but White and company have to plan accordingly.
Meanwhile, the A side could target as many log points as possible from the URC matches against Munster and Glasgow.
Thereafter, they could enjoy an extra week off to prepare for the two-game block against Cardiff and the Dragons at home.
The Bulls could rack up as many log points as possible in the final matches of the URC, and finish second or third in the standings.
A second-place finish will ensure that the Bulls play a quarterfinal as well as a potential semifinal in Pretoria. If Leinster slip up at some point, White’s team may well host another final at Loftus.
White has to manage his best players to peak in the competition that matters most – and with the Bulls eliminated from the Champions Cup, the URC is next on the list.
