URC: Siya Kolisi hails Sharks' fight ahead of blockbuster Bulls semifinal
Sharks superstar Siya Kolisi has highlighted the fighting spirit of his teammates as they prepare for their United Rugby Championship semifinal showdown against the Bulls.
'We learned our lesson', says Bulls coach Jake White
The Pretoria outfit was down 14-3 and then 21-8 against the Scottish team before a second-half rally saw them emerge 42-33 winners in front of the Loftus faithful.
In April, the Bulls lost to Edinburgh in their Challenge Cup quarterfinal in Scotland. This time, they were prepared.
"We were 24-7 down the last time we played Edinburgh," reflected White.
"This time, 21-8 down - and not many teams come back like that in a quarterfinal. But we learned, and that's the key.
"I'm just very happy that there was the fight and resilience and learning. I always talk about being in this competition and learning from what happened previously.
"We were down but got a [winning] result. Whereas the last time we played them, we didn't.
"People think the team placed seventh must lose to the team that finishes second. But look at Leinster - they lost to Scarlets and us during the league phase and only just got through their quarterfinal."
The Bulls host the Sharks in the URC semifinal in Pretoria on Saturday.
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Bulls forward Cameron Hanekom was named the United Rugby Championship's Next-Gen Player of the Season, while five other Springboks made the URC Elite XV.
Bulls boss Jake White has full confidence in young gun Keagan Johannes
Bulls coach Jake White has backed flyhalf Keagan Johannes ahead of their United Rugby Championship semifinal against the Sharks in Pretoria on Saturday.
Stormers coach laments URC quarterfinal performance, looks to season's silver linings
Stormers boss John Dobson admitted his charges were poor in their United Rugby Championship loss on Friday, but looked at the positives for the season.