Jake White 'proud' of fringe Bulls, set to stick to squad plan ahead of silly season

They were labelled a 'B-team' in the week, but coach Jake White was immensely proud of his Bulls side that landed a thrilling 42-36 win over France's Lyon in their European Champions Cup opener at Loftus on Saturday. 

The Bulls are now off to Exeter for their second clash of the competition next weekend, where a far sterner test is expected as the first-team regulars are likely to return. 

With a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the defending champion Stormers set for Friday, 23 December - the following weekend - also on the cards, White tested the depth of the Bulls for this clash against last year's European Challenge Cup winners. 

It appeared a gamble of sorts on the surface, but considering the demands of the fixture list and all the travelling the Bulls will be doing over the next few weeks, it now looks to have been a masterstroke. 

This was a very young Bulls team, and there were names included who the average South African rugby follower might not be familiar with. 

Yet, after 86 minutes of action-packed, sometimes frantic running rugby, the job was ultimately done. 

The Bulls had raced out to a 28-0 lead inside 25 minutes, but Lyon hit back and the fixture ended with the visitors bashing away in search of a match-winning try. 

There were two 5m lineouts long after the hooter, but the Bulls held out, and White said after the match he was particularly pleased by those desperate efforts. 

"I'm very happy about the win and with the way we played in that first 25 minutes - it's some of the best rugby we've played since we've been together - but the last 5 minutes where we defended showed me a lot," said White. 

"To keep them out for five minutes like that I just think is a phenomenal effort. These are