Jake White talks about his battle with Covid-19

During the Bulls squad announcement for their mid-week encounter with the Lions in Pretoria, director of rugby Jake White recounted his battle with the Covid-19 virus and opened up about what he had taken from it and what he had lost.

White tested positive for the virus three weeks ago and faced a significant physical and mental challenge as a result.

“The virus struck me down. I was in bed for a few days and I gained some perspective again on life in general.

“I wasn’t with the team, but I was in contact with the coaching staff and the conditioning coaches.”

The Bulls have been in decent form under White’s guidance and are eyeing a path to the finals.

“I’m healthy now,” he continued. “And I’m psyched and charged and in 20 days we will know who the Currie Cup champions will be. It will be four games and if everything goes well, we will play three of them at Loftus.”

While battling the virus, White was informed of the sad news that two close friends – school principal Arthur Underday and former Springbok team manager Arthob Petersen – had both passed away due to Covid-19.

“I lost friends during this period. Not that we underestimated this pandemic, but I realised again that this virus is serious.

“That’s what I mean with getting some perspective during my time off. I just realised again that we’re so lucky and privileged to do what we enjoy. I’ve really tried to return to the team with the renewed objective of having fun.”