Jake White praised the defence and impact of the bench after the Vodacom Bulls’ table-topping victory over Cardiff in the Vodacom URC on Friday night.
The Bulls climbed to the top of the URC log with a gutsy 18-12 win in Wales, ahead of the remainder of the round 4 fixtures this weekend.
Two tries in as many minutes midway through the first half earned The Herd a lead they were never to lose, and set them on course for victory at the Arms Park.
Cardiff closed the gap to three points with 26 minutes to play but Chris Smith’s 61st-minute penalty for the Bulls stretched their lead and the visitors held on.
White’s charges now have 15 log points from four matches and will turn their attention to Edinburgh next Friday for the final stop of their European tour.
RECAP: Bulls edge Cardiff to go top
Speaking in a post-match teleconference from Wales, the Bulls director of rugby told reporters: “Defensively, they scored one try and we made a mistake there, but we were very comfortable without the ball.
“And the way we scrambled back at the end there … you can’t do anything other than be proud of the fact that there was such a good effort.
“That’s all of our hard work and as a coach, you’re very happy to see that at the back end of a game.
“You can see how tough it is to win away from home, I just saw Zebre beat the Sharks. Zebre is a team that everyone thinks you can just get points off and get out of Parma.
“Our tour isn’t over yet, we’ve still got a massive game against Edinburgh next week with all their Scottish internationals. But at this point in time we’re obviously very chuffed that we’ve won two in a row and carry a bit of momentum into the next round.”
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Man of the Match Wilco Louw was prominent as the Bulls defended their line with vigour and was tireless up front, playing the full 80 minutes as the forwards gave the backs a platform to work with.
White added: “I’m very proud. To have a Man-of-the-Match tighthead prop performance, it hasn’t been like that since I’ve been at the Bulls, so it’s very pleasing for us.”
It was also the first time that the World Cup-winning coach experimented with the Bomb Squad, selecting a six-two split on the bench that was fortuitous for the men from Pretoria.
“The first time that I’ve done a six-two bench and as it turned out, [Mpilo] Gumede did his ankle early on and had to come off, so I was actually very fortunate to have two extra loose forwards,” White said.
“One thing that I’ve seen with the Springboks is that when you have a bit of composure and experience at the back end of a game, it just gives you more confidence.
“And I got the feeling that when you put guys like Ruan Nortje and Elrigh Louw on, then all of a sudden it looks like there’s sort of more composure, stability and a little understanding about what they have to do. I definitely think it worked to have those guys be there when the pressure was building up.”
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