The Bulls ownmership was is controlled by Motsepe and Ruprt who made available huge amnts f mone o cntract players - if any of the other provincial franchises has that same benefit they would also perform well in tournaments.
The Bulls ownmership was is controlled by Motsepe and Ruprt who made available huge amnts f mone o cntract players - if any of the other provincial franchises has that same benefit they would also perform well in tournaments.
Sharks must have a truckload of $$$.
The Sharks have a far more star studded squad than the Bools…get real.
Exactly Blob….Jake resurrected players like Goosen, Coetzee and Wilco. All three wouldn’t have bought Etzebeth then or now.
Jake could have bought a few Sharks players - but White is not poular with many players an he n turn would not want to play for the teams he coached. An interesting example is Esterhuizen who played for the Sharks when White was a coach there and White was not interested in him.
Comments from players like Etzebeth indicated that they do not wish to be contracted by the Bulls under White. On the other hand White is not interested in Esterhuizen is a player
The ownershio if the Sharks ae ontrolled by a US company Jay-Z owning 51% of the Shareholding with Supersport and Sharks Rugby now have 25.5% of the shares and Supersport 23% of the shareholding - so basically the Sharks has plenty of money - but not the amount of money available to the Bulls for contracting of players.
The contracting of players when White was appointed by the Bulls was initially a mess until Motsepe and Rupert apponyed Schalk Brits to look after their rugby interests and since then the selection of players were extended to backline players, Initially the contracting was largely amongst the forwards - now it includes backline players, The next contract will for instance instance was for Goosen and Pollard. Very few of the Bulls got their rugby backgrounds not from White's but rather from other coaches. Pollard was after chool went to the Blls where he played rugby for the Varsurt Cuo and nder 19 and 21 eams playing at 12,
Failure by Morne in 2012 and 2014 forced Meyer to pick pick Goosen in 2012 and Pollard in 2014 to play for the S Springboks, In both cases theor develoment of players actually started when they were. In 2014 played in 3 tests for the Spigboks = in 2015 he played for the Springboks after the Japan disaster Pollard was the frular test player in 5 tests in 2015 - Meyer.preferred Lambiee as fklyhalf and nit Pollard, Pollard played no test rugby in 2016 and 2017 and it as the mment Erasmus took ove he became he player he is at present. through Erasmus and other coaches,
I mentioned Goosen and Pollard - but the same can be said of other plaers contrcted by White, Development of forwads are iro forwards - but when it comes to backline player development there is no evidence that he really develop players.
.
.
Moodie, Kriel, Papier, Sebastian de Klerk, Arendse…..backline players who have improved under Jake.
How can they have improved under Jake - they have always been at the Bulls other than Sebastian de Klerk who while at the Pumas was pretty devastating, hence why Jake recruited him
Nothing has changed with Wilco, he has always been that good but playing abroad clearly counted against him at test level but somehow that never applied to Koch
My guess is that Rassie always had Malherbe as his starter and the more mobile Koch coming off the bench ahead of Wilco - a mistake of course - Wilco should never have been left out of the Bok
squad
Rassie has made some howler selections at times - like not selecting Tyrone Green, David Kriel, Papier, Nohamba, Wilco, Thomas, Ruben v Heerden, Ruan Vermaak, Jason Jenkins, Ludwig, JL du Preez, Dan du Preez and Manu Tsituka
How can they have improved under Jake? Obviously if they have been with one coach you can’t do a ‘before and after’ analysis,You can only assess if the players had the environment to develop. I believe that was true with the players I suggested.
On Wilco, his profile after his Bools’ stint is distinctly higher than it ever was before…..he was trending down before his stint with Bools. Would the reversal have happened at the Sharks or Stormers? I doubt it.
Wrong about Wilco he was huge for Quins
My good mate and his family are Quins supporters and Wilco was their favourite player
They were gutted when he left. Wilco the scrum king stands out in any side he plays for it has zero to do with Jake
Mozart
Everybody being coached by Whte in the end turned against him - inclusive of Smit and Matfield, If White was such a great coach - why was his services terminated in 2008 with the support of the Bulls amd Cheetahs Unions who disliked him. Why was his contract by the Sharks terminated in 2014 - when he left the Sharks in chaos and why did Montpellier refuse to renew his two year contract with them?
As Dave put it Erasmus made some mistakes in team selection - but never destroyed the team and two WC trophies proved it, That is why since 2008 teams coached by White never won any major trophies and I believe it will continue this year - he is just too forward orientated and all the players Mozart touted as being developed are BS, Goosen was initially developed as a top class player by the Cheetahs and from there went to Racing in Paris. He was one year voted by the Players in France as Player of the Year, So how did White contributed to Gooen as a player, Why did Etzebeth clearly stated he picked the Sharks because White was coach of the Bulls,
Why was the initial response of White as Manager of Buls rugby to support the contrating of playes like the failed Morne Steyn when it came to backline players, The fact is BB spread BS as well. With Rupert and Motsepe putting in more money in the Bulls franchise than the Sharks get from their 2 major shareholding companies is a guess and not based on real facts,
We will see tomorrow whether White's coaching can change the factual situation of teams coached by him cannot win trophies, My own feeling is that te chances o the Blls winning tomorrow is going to be repeat of what happeed to all teams coached by White since 2008.
7,846 posts
Vodacom Bulls head coach Jake White is one of the most experienced and decorated coaches in world rugby.
Known for his uncompromising tactical nous and pedigree in player development, White's tenure at Loftus Versfeld has revitalised the Vodacom Bulls’ identity, since his arrival back in 2020.
Born in Johannesburg in 1963, White's rugby journey began in the schoolboy ranks, coaching at Jeppe High School for Boys before progressing through the South African age-grade structures. His appointment as Springbok head coach in 2004 marked the start of a golden era for South African rugby, culminating in the 2007 Rugby World Cup triumph.
That victory remains a defining legacy of his career, built on pragmatism, elite defensive systems, and a masterful use of set-piece power.
Since taking the reins at the Vodacom Bulls, White has implemented a similar ethos — clarity in execution, physical dominance, and a strong kicking game. He swiftly engineered a turnaround, guiding the franchise to the Currie Cup title in 2020/21 and the United Rugby Championship (URC) final in 2022.
His impact has been immediate and transformative, with White leading the Vodacom Bulls to the URC Grand Final once again last season.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's Grand Final showdown with regular season table-toppers, Leinster, White is fully aware of that challenge that awaits his side in Dublin.
“The wonderful thing for us is that we have a lotto ticket,” said White.
“You can’t win the lotto if you don’t have a ticket. We have a 50% chance of winning on Saturday. That’s how sport works.”
“We have to travel to play an international team. It is going to be like Ireland versus the Bulls. I’m not underplaying it.”
“Ireland have beaten the All Blacks and many big teams. So we have to work hard; get things to work in our favour; recover well from bumps and bruises. Then we have to play very well.”
“Look at what Leinster did to Glasgow and look at what Glasgow did to us last year. They did not struggle to beat Glasgow and will be on a high now going into a final at home.”
This will be the third time in four years that the Vodacom Bulls will contest the URC Grand Final, but White insists that record will hold little value this week.
“It is all immaterial. It is now a final,” White added.
“For both sides it is a completely different challenge. It doesn’t matter that we beat them last year in a knockout game.”
“I’m glad because the whole of Dublin will be rugby crazy. Our young players will experience something unique and special. I will work hard for the guys to enjoy it and be ready. People travel the world to hopefully see the underdogs win. That is what happens in sport.”
White adds that he will lean heavily this week on the experience of his World Cup-winning Springboks to guide the squad.
“We need our senior guys who have been there and done it to impart their knowledge.”
“We have Willie le Roux who has won a World Cup, so has Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie.”
“We also have guys who have played in finals. I want them to talk to each other about what works, and what doesn’t.”
Related
News
13 Jun 2025
URC GRAND FINAL: What the stats are saying ahead of the big dance
2 min read
News
13 Jun 2025
URC Grand Final – Team Announcements
2 min read