URC final preview: Bulls have the firepower to conquer Leinster ‘mission impossible’

The Bulls haven’t lost in the United Rugby Championship in eight matches.

They also have an excellent away record this season, having won five out of seven encounters, with the only defeats coming against the Scarlets and Sharks.

The most significant of those victories were against the Stormers in Cape Town, Munster in Limerick and Glasgow in Scotland.

That is why today’s URC final against Leinster at Croke Park in Dublin (6pm SA time kick-off) is not a ‘mission impossible’ for Jake White’s team.

They will take heart from the fact that they have beaten Leinster in Ireland before, in the 2022 semi-finals in what was an epic 27-26 triumph, and enjoy a four-out-of-six win record against the Irish giants.

Sure, it wasn’t always a full-strength Leinster, but those results are in the history books, and it should provide the visitors with the necessary belief that they finally end their URC title bogey after losing two previous finals.

“I must say we’ve actually toured quite well this year, and our win record is better than most. I don’t know why it is, we happen to have played really well away from home,” White said after naming his match-23 this week.

“It’s a little bit reminiscent to when I was at the Brumbies. We went through 11 games unbeaten away from home.

“Sometimes when you’ve got that recipe going for you, it counts in your favour because you enjoy being together, enjoy the players spending time together.

“And when you win, obviously those sorts of memories and those sorts of feelings that you have when you get back as a group is something that’s special as well.

“But also, there’s no doubt guys, it doesn’t matter when we play Leinster.

“Quality team... I’ve said it to you many times: they’re the benchmark of not just the URC, of club rugby, I think all over the world.

“The Toulouses and the Leinsters are the two teams that everyone wants to try and emulate. So, it didn’t matter where we played.

“Let’s be fair, whether it’s at Croke Park – whether it’s Aviva, whether it was at RDS, whether it was in South Africa – I think the challenge is exactly the same.”

And that challenge is dealing with the relentless nature of the Leinster approach. They play an up-tempo game, with wave after wave on attack – usually out wide to James Lowe and Jimmy O’Brien, but also up the guts via Joe McCarthy, Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan.

The Bulls, though, can fight fire with fire.

The front row of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw don’t have to stand back for any opposition in the tournament in the scrums and tight-loose, while lock Cobus Wiese has played himself into Springbok contention.

Playmakers Embrose Papier, Johan Goosen and Willie le Roux have the magic in their hands and feet to put on a dazzling show, and strike-runners abound in Canan Moodie, Sebastian de Klerk, David Kriel and Harold Vorster.

Perhaps the greatest test for the Pretoria outfit will come in the loose trio, where the injury-enforced absences of Cameron Hanekom and Elrigh Louw will be most felt.

Conan, Josh van der Flier and Ryan Baird are an outstanding Leinster combination – even though Ireland stalwart Caelan Doris is injured.

So, captain Ruan Nortjé will have to produce arguably his finest performance in a No 7 jersey to put the Bulls on the front foot in the collisions to complement Marcell Coetzee and Marco van Staden.

“I was lucky enough to coach Pieter-Steph (du Toit) when he was a youngster, and I moved Pieter-Steph from lock to flank – and Ruan’s got the same attributes,” White said.

“He can run for 80 minutes, he can, as I said, he has all those attributes of being a loose forward.

“I’m glad he says he enjoys it. I would have hated it if he had sat here and said, no, I don’t like playing flank.

“He’s got a work-rate, he’s unbelievable. He’s covered defence and understanding rugby, and then running a lineout as a loose forward as well is a massive attribute, which gives us, as I said, gives us another, that string to our bow.”

The skipper himself is not concerned about moving away from his primary role as a No 5 lock and lineout-caller either.

“I must say, I really enjoy it a lot. It’s a bit more loose, a bit more on the edge,” Nortjé said.

“It just makes you a bit more versatile. I just enjoy being at the side of the scrum in a different position.”

There is no doubt that Leinster have the edge among the replacements, boasting Bok star RG Snyman, veteran French prop Rabah Slimani and the exciting outside back Jamie Osborne.

But the Bulls have been highly effective as a squad, and the likes of Akker van der Merwe, Nizaam Carr and Keagan Johannes can make vital contributions in the second half too.

“What all teams want to do is make sure that when the last three weeks come about, that you can put your best players fit and available on the field, and play your best rugby,” White said.

“It’s simple: we play our best rugby on the weekend, and we win.”

Teams For Dublin

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux 14 Canan Moodie 13 David Kriel 12 Harold Vorster 11 Sebastian de Klerk 10 Johan Goosen 9 Embrose Papier 8 Marcell Coetzee 7 Ruan Nortjé (captain) 6 Marco van Staden 5 JF van Heerden 4 Cobus Wiese 3 Wilco Louw 2 Johan Grobbelaar 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels.

Bench: 16 Akker van der Merwe 17 Alulutho Tshakweni 18 Mornay Smith 19 Jannes Kirsten 20 Nizaam Carr 21 Zak Burger 22 Keagan Johannes 23 Devon Williams.

Leinster: 15 Jimmy O’Brien 14 Tommy O’Brien 13 Garry Ringrose 12 Jordie Barrett 11 James Lowe 10 Sam Prendergast 9 Jamison Gibson-Park 8 Jack Conan (captain) 7 Josh van der Flier 6 Ryan Baird 5 James Ryan 4 Joe McCarthy 3 Thomas Clarkson 2 Dan Sheehan 1 Andrew Porter.

Bench: 16 Ronan Kelleher 17 Jack Boyle 18 Rabah Slimani 19 RG Snyman 20 Max Deegan 21 Luke McGrath 22 Ross Byrne 23 Jamie Osborne.