Jake White is not sending his Bulls to the abattoir in France, but he rather sees the Champions Cup clash – one they must win to stay in the running – against Castres as an important opportunity to blood new players.
YOUR team to face Castres Olympique tomorrow night 🔥🐂@ChampionsCup | @Investec | @Vodacom #ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/BjsoMmbgBG
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) January 10, 2025
While the director of rugby has selected an inexperienced side for their third clash in the competition, he believes it will aid him in building his squad depth.
At the same time, the youngsters will receive an opportunity to make a name for themselves at the Stade Pierre-Fabre (10pm SA time start) in the south of France.
“It is going to be a massive test and learning for some of these young guys,” White said yesterday.
“They will experience what it is like to not only play at this level of Champions Cup rugby, but also to see what it is like to play in an environment where more than 50 percent of the town support their club. It’s a difficult place to play at the best of times.”
Veteran loose forward Nizaam Carr, one of only three Springboks in the side, will captain the Loftus Versfeld outfit, while hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels and wing Aphiwe Dyantyi are the only others to have played Test rugby.
The Vodacom Bulls have had some colourful kits over the years 🟩🟥🟦🟪🟨 pic.twitter.com/Vohb4377d6
There will be a keen eye on youngsters JF van Heerden (lock), Mpilo Gumede (loose forward), outside centre Katlego Letebele and replacements Sebastian Lombard and Corné Beets.
The Bulls are without a win in the Champions Cup, and fielding untested combinations could maintain the status quo, but White said they are not too worried about being on a losing streak.
They’ve lost their last three matches in all competitions after falling to Saracens, Northampton Saints and the Sharks.
“The only people talking about the recent losing streak are you guys,” White answered, referring to the media.
“We were always going to have a four-week tough competition part of the year at the back-end of 2024.
“We were always going to have to play Saracens, Northampton and then the Sharks, who are Challenge Cup and Currie Cup champions with a lot of Springboks. It was always going to be a tough ask.
“We can’t now because the media say... and I’ve got to say, you guys keep going on about how many times we lost, and it’s only you guys who are worried about it.
“You don’t ever want to go through losing, but inevitably, everyone has to. You can’t always be on the high road, top of the log and play at home in competitions.”
On tonight’s clash, White warned that his young side won’t typically get to play the running rugby they’ve become known for, especially at Loftus Versfeld.
He instead expects a massive forwards battle against the Castres pack. He also said they pride themselves on winning home games, and it doesn’t matter if it’s in the Top 14 or Champions Cup.
“Castres have won the Top 14, even though they are not seen as a high-profile team in South Africa. When I coached here (at Montpellier), they had Antoine Dupont playing scrumhalf. They had some great players in this jersey.
Postcard from France 🏞️#ForeverBlue pic.twitter.com/AdpRVLvjnA
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) January 9, 2025
“We must not kid ourselves. To play any French team away from home is a tough ask. They have a small, intimate stadium, and their supporters get behind them.
“We must match the intensity and enthusiasm they will bring, and be good at those critical moments in the game.” | Independent Media Sport
Bulls Team
15 Henry Immelman 14 Sibongile Novuka 13 Katlego Letebele 12 Chris Barend Smit 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi 10 Boeta Chamberlain 9 Bernard van der Linde 8 Nizaam Carr (captain) 7 Mpilo Gumede 6 Nama Xaba 5 Sintu Manjezi 4 JF van Heerden 3 Mornay Smith 2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels 1 Alulutho Tshakweni.
Bench: 16 Joe van Zyl 17 Dylan Smith 18 Sebastian Lombard 19 Deon Slabbert 20 Corné Beets 21 Keagan Johannes 22 Jaco van der Walt 23 Cornel Smit.
Castres: 15 Julien Dumora 14 Geoffrey Palis 13 Vilimoni Botitu 12 Jack Goodhue 11 Remy Baget 10 Pierre Popelin 9 Jeremy Fernandez 8 Abraham Papalii 7 Tyler Ardron 6 Mathieu Babillot (captain) 5 Florent Vanverberghe 4 Guillaume Ducat 3 Levan Chilachava 2 Gaetan Barlot 1 Antoine Tichit.
Bench: 16 Pierre Colonna 17 Lois Guerois-Galisson 18 Nicolas Corato 19 Leone Nakarawa 20 Simon Meka 21 Santiago Arata 22 Theo Chabouni 23 Adrien Seguret.