Jake White heaps praise on Bulls hero Chris Smith: 'He told me he was terrified'

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said the history of Bulls' flyhalves being natural drop-kickers recreated itself at the most opportune time in their nail-biting 30-27 United Rugby Championship quarter-final win against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Chris Smith landed an 84th-minute drop-goal to send the Bulls into the semi-finals at the expense of an enterprising Sharks outfit.

The game was all square at 27-all after the hooter, with the sides scoring three tries, three conversions, and two penalties each.

READ | 84th-minute drop goal sees Bulls sink Sharks in epic Loftus knockout

White said Smith wasn't sure of the move, but the Bulls' history of having crack drop kickers came in handy.

"I don't know if they were thinking about it, but I think Chris thought there was so much pressure, he probably wasn't going to do it," White said.

"He said to me he was terrified, but the nice thing is that it’s not the first time we've seen a Northern Transvaal player drop a kick over."

The Bulls face a trip to Dublin where a hurting Leinster will be lying in wait for them. Leinster was the Bulls' first URC outing on 25 September last year and they were hammered 31-3.

READ | After long Covid effects, rugby finds itself again as URC gains street cred   

The Bulls have evolved since that defeat, with their wait-and-see rugby evident in their Sharks encounter.

Despite six tries being scored the game was decided late, something White expected of the play-offs, noting how the stakes will change the way teams approach these knock-out fixtures. 

"This is how knockout rugby is played. You may score four tries, but you'll still have to take the game deep," White said.

"What has happened in the pool stages is immaterial because we're at a