Jake White says being the only South African team to have faced Leinster at full strength gives the Vodacom Bulls confidence for their semi-final clash. DYLAN JACK reports.
The Vodacom Bulls will host Leinster in the Pretoria semi-final on Saturday, having battled past Italian side Benetton in a hard-fought quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld.
It will be the first time that Leinster will travel to Pretoria at full strength, as the Irish side has in the past opted to rest their internationals from South African tours to focus on the Champions Cup.
However, the Bulls have faced Leinster at full power, when they provided one of the famous upsets by winning 27-26 in the 2021-22 semi-finals in Dublin.
“I hope it’s boiling hot. I know the weather is one thing I can’t control, but I hope it’s hot,” White said.
“The one positive thing is that they beat us 31-3 in the opening game of the first season and we beat them in the semi-finals in Dublin. So it’s not something that we haven’t done.
“When it gets to knockout rugby, anything is possible. Anything can happen. If we get a good start like we did today, then they are under pressure.
“The one thing which is significantly different, is all the pressure was on us today. Next week, all the pressure is on whoever comes here. If it’s Leinster, they will be under more pressure than we are.
“The expectation is that Leinster should be winning, with the internationals on their roster. They should be winning the URC. They’ve played three European Cup finals. You don’t get to those finals unless you can play.
“Hopefully it’s hot and we can regroup and look after our bodies this week. Mentally, just go into the game with the belief that it’s been done before. We’ve beaten Leinster in Dublin, we’ve got to believe that can happen in Pretoria as well. I really believe we can win.”
White says that the Bulls will be drawing on all their experience from facing Leinster’s strongest lineup, in what will be something of a dress rehearsal for the upcoming Test series between the Springboks and Ireland.
“We’re the only South African team that has played Leinster’s full-strength side. In three years, not one of the other South African teams have faced Leinster at full strength.
“When Leinster came to South Africa, they brought their second stringers. At the beginning of the season, when we toured, they were at the World Cup.
“There’s a positive to that. It means we’ve played their best players. This is the third time. You have to take something positive from that. If you play Rafael Nadal three times, you will be better in game three.”
🗣️ Jake White’s plea to the public ahead of the Springboks v Ireland dress rehearsal: ‘Fill up Loftus.
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— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) June 9, 2024
Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile/Gallo Images
