Jake White celebrates Bulls' semi-final victory over Sharks and calls for better scrum rewards
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers
'We made it hard for ourselves, but that victory was very nice.'
Bulls' director of rugby, Jake White, was an elated coach after his side triumphed over the Sharks on Saturday evening at Loftus Versfeld to progress to the final of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
They will face Leinster at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday where the Bulls will look to seal a first-ever URC title in their third final. The 25-13 win over the Sharks saw them claim a consecutive finals berth.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad loading
'I think we won that game in the five minutes before halftime when we had 12 men on the field,' White said after the match.
The Bulls received three yellow cards and had to defend with 12 men in the dying moments of the first forty to repel the attacks of the visitors. They managed to do that and took a healthy 15-3 lead into halftime.
'It was a bit of déjà vu because we played them here and got them down to 12 men and we could not open them up. It is obviously a massive win for us as a club, and we are into another final. So, that is three finals in four years, and any club would tell you that is a massive achievement.
What has just happened 😱@BlueBullsRugby score their second of the night with Canan Moodie flying into the corner 🚀@Vodacom #URC | #BULvSHA pic.twitter.com/Q8pJoOAGOV — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 7, 2025
'In that five minutes before halftime with 12 men, it did not look like they were going to score and that is a massive boost to the defence coach and players. I told them in the changeroom that is where we won it. Sometimes you think you win a game with a last-minute kick.
'However, it is not that, it is what you do at certain times (in the game) and we were 12 out of 10 with the way we showed attitude. I say it confidently. I sat there thinking they are not going to score here because we were really fronting up there.'
White said there was a different vibe in the changeroom after they kept the Sharks out and he knows it could've been otherwise if they had let their opponents over the line for a try.
Dance of the de Klerk 💃⚡
️
Embrose Papier slices through to set up Sebastian de Klerk and open the show for the @BlueBullsRugby !@Vodacom #URC | #BULvSHA pic.twitter.com/oNs0lTcAjX — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 7, 2025
He added that the atmosphere in the stadium added to their game, and he knows they made the Loftus crowd proud with their performance.
White praised the efforts of scrumhalf Embrose Papier, who had a direct hand in two of the three tries, but at the same time said it's thanks to the forwards' dominance that the scrumhalf could play his natural game. The Bulls ruled the scrums in the opening exchanges, and their coach feels they could've received more rewards at times.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐓 💥@leinsterrugby and the Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby battle it out to lift the @Vodacom #URC trophy 🏆
Get your tickets and we'll see you at Croke Park next weekend 🫡
Pre-Sale tickets (10% off): Sunday 11am SAST
General Sale tickets: Monday 11am SAST pic.twitter.com/7Yxv4Rr2Zt — Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) June 7, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
13 minutes ago
- IOL News
Venus Williams: A global inspiration in an unjust world order
VenVenus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in Williams with her Barbie doll. Image: Instagram THIS past week, astonishing tennis champion Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in 2004. In a brilliant display, she beat Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the Washington DC Open. This marks her winning streak following her first doubles match in three years, where she solidified a win at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste this week. When Williams stepped onto the court this past week and clinched yet another hard-fought win, it was not just a personal triumph; it was a thunderous reminder of what resilience looks like in a world that has too often sidelined female athletes. For Black women in particular, Williams's legacy stretches far beyond the boundaries of a tennis court. It speaks to grit, excellence, and the persistent fight against a system built to exclude us — particularly those who are both Black and female. As a Black South African woman, I don't just see Venus. I see myself. I see the outstanding Caster Semenya. I see our stunning Banyana Banyana team. I see the first World Athletics Indoor Championships winner, Prudence Sekgodiso. And so, so many more. In the same breath, however, I also see the underfunded, overlooked, and underestimated athletes across our continent who rise despite various, arduous barriers set against them. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Being a woman in the professional sports world is incredibly tough. However, being a Black woman in sport — and any other sphere of society — is a double disadvantage. Racism and sexism work together to create nearly impenetrable walls. Whether it is access to elite training facilities, sponsorships, or fair media coverage, they are constantly demanded to do more with less, and then criticised for not doing enough. Black South African sportswomen face a specific set of challenges: historical racial inequalities, under-resourced development programmes in townships and rural areas, and deeply embedded gender biases. They are told to be grateful for crumbs when in reality they deserve seats at the main table. Globally and locally, the gender pay gap in sports is staggering. While male athletes rake in millions of rand, women are left scrambling for basic sponsorship. When Banyana Banyana qualified for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, the prize money promised to the team was barely a fraction of what the men's team would receive for a similar feat, despite the women outperforming them in global rankings and progress. This is not just a domestic problem. When Williams fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon — and won — it took years of hard-won activism, even with her legendary status. How much longer will it take for African women athletes to receive the most basic recognition? The limitations in access also coincide with the limitations of women's rights. Access to sport starts early, at a foundational stage. In many South African communities, however, young girls are commonly discouraged from participating. Sport is still seen as a 'man's game', and their facilities are either unavailable or prioritised for males. When you add the constant threat of gender-based violence, you begin to understand why many promising girls drop out of sports altogether. Even at professional levels, these basic rights are often denied. Female athletes lack access to legal support, maternity protections, and even healthcare. Many of our most formidable athletes retire early, not because of injuries or that their talent has faded, but because the system simply pushes them out. Many of the challenges women face in sports are also a direct result of poor policies. While there have been moves toward policy reforms, implementation remains weak. Gender equity clauses are often tokenistic — included in sporting federations' documentation that demands international compliance — but rarely enforced. Funding for women's sports remains minimal, and when cuts are made, women's programmes are the first to go. Furthermore, sports organisations love to make the widespread claim that if female athletes do not generate the same amount of viewership and visibility as male sports, they are undeserving of the standardised remuneration. This is nonsense and speaks to a wider problem of a general minimisation of female sports, from marketing to administration, and beyond. Ultimately, we do not need more slogans or one-off 'Women in Sport' campaigns. We need meaningful, transformative, measurable action. In fact, the most visible injustice is the lack of visibility of female sports. When South Africa hosted and dominated the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the coverage was scarce and begrudging. More recently, Banyana Banyana made it to the semi-finals of the 2025 Wafcon. The coverage was undeniably minute! Which is particularly shameful, considering that the entire soccer world has recently concluded its most formidable competitions — such as the Premier League, the European League, and the Fifa Club World Cup — where it was a prime opportunity to garner viewership and sales for Wafcon. All of this, which is easily comparable to the blanket coverage that men's teams receive during even minor tournaments, is truly despicable. According to Change Our Game, 2022/2023 statistics, women's coverage represented an average of 19% of all coverage across the top five sports. Globally, only about 4% of sports media coverage is devoted to women's sports. Additionally, there is a significant problematisation in the lack of depth in the coverage of women's sports compared to men's sports. Change Our Game outlined that women were commonly described as 'quiet achievers', 'hard workers' and 'punching above their weight'. This speaks to an issue with the socialisation of women that sees them as non-athletes, as physically inadequate, and as the exception to a 'male game'. The media's silence certainly is not neutral. It directly shapes public perceptions, sponsorship interest, and the legitimacy of women athletes overall. It impacts the place of female sports in the world and restricts them to a second-class position. Like so many female athletes across the world, Williams's victory was a spark — but what we need is a wildfire. We need more Black women in boardrooms, coaching, policymaking positions, sports journalism, media, and beyond. We need equity, not pity. We need representation, not mere symbolism. Waiting costs so much more than investing. For every 'Venus' in the global spotlight, there are thousands of women on dusty fields and cracked courts across Africa, fighting for the chance to compete. They do not just want access; they deserve it, and they demand it. This is not merely about access, it's about justice. Until sport dismantles its barriers and reclaims its promise of equity, it will fail those who need it most. And this plight will not stop until sports truly becomes what it was always meant to be: fair, inclusive, and open to all. In the words of basketball star (WNBA) A'ja Wilson: 'Adversity is like fertiliser for greatness.' But greatness isn't grown on barren soil — resources must come before results. * Tswelopele Makoe is a gender and social justice activist and editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher, columnist, and an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
IOL News
16 hours ago
- IOL News
Strong Blitzboks flavour for Western Province as Zain Davids leads Cape side against Bulls
Zain Davids will captain Western Province in his Currie Cup debut for the Cape side against the Bulls. Western Province will have a strong Blitzboks flavour when they take on the Bulls in their opening Currie Cup match in Cape Town on Saturday. Springbok Sevens star Zain Davids will captain Western Province. He is one of seven players in the starting line-up making their senior debut for the Currie Cup side, with Springbok Sevens teammate and fullback Shilton van Wyk, wing Quewin Nortje, scrumhalf Asad Moos, No 8 De Wet Marais, lock Alex Groves and tighthead prop Cabous Eloff also running out in the blue-and-white hoops for the very first time Van Wyk and Nortje are joined by Springbok Courtnall Skosan in a pacy back three, with Luke Burger and Damian Markus in midfield. Moos will partner Kyle Smith at halfback, while Davids will have Marais and Louw Nel beside him in the loose trio.
TimesLIVE
16 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Lions looking to avoid mistakes of the past in Currie Cup opener against Sharks
The last time there was a Zulu on the Lions' proverbial stoep it ended up being a blockbusting horror for the home team. The Lions claim they are no longer spooked by the events that unfolded in last year's Currie Cup final when they let slip the opportunity to lift the trophy by performing post full-time siren hara-kiri against the Sharks. Holding a slender lead after the siren they won a line-out and opted not to kick the ball into touch. The Sharks turned over possession and new recruit Jordan Hendrickse kicked his former team in the teeth by raising the flags with a monster penalty to snatch the title. 'Ya, those type of things are not unique to us,' said Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi. 'We have to get over ourselves. The game of rugby moves on. It hurt afterwards but over the course of time we engaged with each other and tried to understand what happened.
