Jake White says it is a massive compliment to his project at the Vodacom Bulls that Saracens have brought a star-studded squad for the Champions Cup opener on Saturday.
White’s Bulls will kick off their second campaign in Europe’s top-flight against the three-time champions at Loftus Versfeld.
MORE: Eskom pumped to shed Saracens
Saracens, the Premiership title-holders, arrived in Pretoria earlier this week with a squad featuring a plethora of internationals, including England flyhalf Owen Farrell, lock Maro Itoje and former Bulls scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl, who played six Tests for the Springboks in 2018.
“I can’t speak for them, but it’s a great honour for us that they are bringing their best team to play against us,” White said on Friday. “It sends a great message to us as a group, that they take us that seriously that they would bring all of their internationals available to come and play at Loftus.
“It’s also a learning experience for them. It’s their first time in South Africa playing against the Bulls, their first time staying in Pretoria. A lot has been said about the Saracens way, but it is about creating memorable experiences for their group as they develop as a team.
“Whether they are taking guys to Ibiza for the weekend, a skiing holiday, it always seems to be something that they try and pride themselves on, creating memories for the team.
“So it’s wonderful that they see us as a team that they have to bring their best. I would like to get to that stage where we can play our strongest internationals every week, we aren’t there yet. We are still growing and getting used to this competition.
“The audience following us doesn’t quite understand how this competition works. I’ve been lucky enough to coach in it with Montpellier, won the Challenge Cup, but then also played in the Champions Cup. I know how big it is. I’ve been into the changerooms and seen what sort of squads you have to put out to get wins.
“The fact that Saracens brought their big guns is wonderful. It gives us a wonderful test as to where we are as a group, especially as we are only in our second year in this competition. It will be an interesting measure of how much progress we have made since we started two years ago.”
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images