Stormers' selection compliment to Bulls as White steers clear of revenge talk

Bulls boss Jake White says Friday's United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the Stormers is not about revenge. 

The sides clash at DHL Stadium for the first time since 18 June 2022 - the 2021/22 URC final - when the Stormers turned it on in the second half to emerge as 18-13 winners and inaugural champions. 

That was the Stormers' third win in a row against their northern neighbours - a fact White was quick to point to at his pre-match press conference on Thursday - but he insists that Friday's outing is "another opportunity" for his charges. 

White says the final, in isolation, was not analysed heading into this encounter. 

Indeed, over the last three years, White has clashed with John Dobson's Stormers numerous times and in several competitions, with White actually on the right side of that individual rivalry. 

"We've lost the last three times we've played against the Stormers, but since I've been at the Bulls we've probably played them 12 times and won about eight of them. It depends which side of the fence you want to look at," he said. 

"We didn't look at the final in isolation. We know what the Stormers do. They've got World Cup winners in their group and nine or 10 Springboks. They have a style that suits them with a strong pack of forwards that scrums for penalties and then kicks into the corner and mauls for tries. That hasn't changed for a long time, so it's not just the final.

"Over the last two or three years we've known what they've got, so it's not just about the final. We know what we need to do and we know what we've done to get success against them. 

"When you've been coaching for 40 years, you don't get up in the morning and think about revenge results."

White also pointed to the Stormers' team selection -