URC final the latest chapter in rivalry between Irish and South African rugby
If ever there was an indication that Saturday's decider will be played between the ears as much as it will be decided in the contact zone, it was the pre-match press conferences at Croke Park and the mental chess played between Leinster's Leo Cullen and the Bulls' Jake White.
After three seasons of upset knockout rounds and top seeds falling by the wayside, the URC finally has its strongest two teams from the regular season primed to go head to head in a potential blockbuster that further entrenches the burgeoning rivalry between Irish and South African rugby.
Except the protagonists have spent the past week playing down their respective strengths, or rather have concentrated on boosting their credentials of those in the opposite corner.
Jake White may have been able to name a team underpinned by 10 capped Springboks including an all-Test front row and a double World Cup winner in full-back Willie Le Roux but still managed to claim his team was a work in progress and yet to fulfil its potential after shooting down Cullen's assertion he was in possession of a 'juggernaut' outfit.
The wily World Cup-winning coach of 2007 was also quick to elevate Leinster to the benchmark status and cite Cullen's matchday squad as consisting of '23 internationals', though Tommy O'Brien's Test debut is imminent with a Test debut surely coming this summer on Ireland's two-match jaunt to Georgia and Portugal.
Nevertheless, you take his point that the Bulls will be facing a Leinster 23 blessed with 10 of the province's 12 Lions selectees, as well as the imported superstar quality of Jordie Barrett, Rabah Slimani and RG Snyman.
Perhaps it is the absence of a quartet of internationals, including World Cup-winning wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, as well as prop Gerhard Steenekamp and back-rowers Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom that had the Bulls boss minding his manners this week.
The loss of No.8 Hanekom in particular is a serious blow, injury striking the 23-year-old powerhouse in last week's semi-final victory over South African rivals the Sharks. Marco van Staden, a World Cup squad member in 2023, moves off the bench to blindside flanker as Marcell Coetzee switches to No.8 with skipper Ruan Nortje the openside flanker.
White made light of the reshuffle at Croke Park on Thursday.
'It just means that I've spend more time on my knees this week, praying for rain,' he said, before addressing the introduction of van Staden to his loose forward trio.
'He's a World Cup winner and that's a great test for him, playing against Josh van der Flier. They've played Test match rugby against each other and like anything, when you move the deckchairs sometimes you get different options as well.
'There'll be things that we won't be as good at without Cameron but there will be things we will be much better at with a guy like Marcell at No.8 as well.
'I don't think it really makes any difference, in that Leinster will play how Leinster will play anyway and we're going to have to be good enough to beat them, whether we had Cameron filling certain gaps or whether we've got a player that maybe doesn't have the same attributes. Who knows, maybe sometime the attributes that Marcell brings as a No.8, and the fact that he played for Ulster, and the fact that he understands the Irish way, maybe those are also things that we mustn't take for granted.'
Perhaps, though, it will all come down to pure desperation with the Bulls looking to avenge two finals defeats in the past three seasons and Leinster seeking to finally live up to top billing by landing their first trophy since defeating Munster in the last season of the PRO14 four years ago.
Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan said this week that no team was hungrier than Leinster, yet White believed such claims are folly.
'I think it's one of those with everyone really. When you get to a final everyone's desperate to win. Anyone who gets to a final and says they're not desperate to win would be naïve.
'I can only worry about what we want to do and we've had three chances now and this is our third chance and we will be desperate and whether it's as desperate or more desperate, I think it goes deeper than that.
'It's not just about the rugby or desperation, it's about that little bit extra, and I think that's the challenge or the test we're all going to have, which one is going to be really desperate when everything's on the line.'
LEINSTER: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, G Ringrose, J Barrett, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; R Baird, J van der Flier, J Conan - captain
Replacements: R Kelleher, J Boyle, R Slimani, RG Snyman, M Deegan, L McGrath, R Byrne, J Osborne
BULLS: W le Roux; C Moodie, D Kriel, H Vorster, S de Klerk; J Goosen, E Papier; J-H Wessels, J Grobbelaar, W Louw; C Wiese, JF van Heerden; M van Staden, R Nortje - captain, M Coetzee
Replacements: A van der Merwe, A Tshakweni, M Smith, J Kirsten, N Carr, Z Burger, K Johannes, D Williams
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
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Irish Times
13 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Emphatic Leinster display delivers URC silverware as Bulls put to the sword at Croke Park
URC Grand Final: Leinster 32 Bulls 7 Redemption of a sort at last. Regrets, they'll have a few this off-season, but Leinster are champions again. Maybe it's not the title they most crave, but their first URC title per se is by some distance the pick of their nine successes in this competition's many iterations. What's more, having topped the table by eight clear points with 16 wins out of 18, and then negotiated two more knock-out ties, Leinster underlined the worthiness of this success by emphatically beating a South African superpower. Rarely have champions been so indisputable. In the process they exorcised a few demons and finished the season on what should be a hugely satisfying note. They and their supporters had the pleasure of doing so in front of a 46,127 crowd at Croke Park, the biggest attendance for an Irish final by eclipsing the 2018 decider when Leinster beat the Scarlets and last lifted silverware in front of a real, live, breathing, cheering home crowd. Leinster did so not just be reaffirming they have a more complete game than a Bulls team which they made look quite blunt with the intensity of their line speed and tackling on what was an important day in the Jacques Nienaber experiment. READ MORE They also dominated the air thanks to the brilliantly varied kicking game of Sam Prendergast, who gave another example of his mental strength as well as technical ability with a performance which had fire in his belly and ice in his veins. Luke McGrath, a late call-up, and James Lowe contributed to this varied kicking game, as did the chasing and competitiveness of Tommy O'Brien. The Lions such as Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan delivered handsomely, and so too in his typically influential all-round final outing did Jordie Barrett, and the bench had much the better impact, especially Rónan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani and RG Snyman. Josh van der Flier celebrates scoring Leinster's third try during the BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final against the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho But once again huge energy came from the others, not least Ryan Baird in his sixth 80-minute effort in a row since that Northampton heartbreak, full of oomph in his carries and his defence, as well as ultra reliable at lineout time. 'It's been a long time coming,' he told the crowd afterwards when admitting to being nervous all week. The Leinster scrum also took on the Bulls' point of difference and actually emerged in credit. This was a very complete victory which ought to quieten idle talk about Leinster's big-match mentality. Rumours had been rife in the couple of days before this game that some of Leinster's 10 named Lions would not make the kick-off, so it was not entirely surprising that Jamison Gibson-Park was confirmed as a late withdrawal. The other nine were fit and present, including eight starters, and McGrath is not exactly a green horn. Most likely McGrath had been running at 9 for much of the week's training anyway and however little others carrying knocks were able to do, Leinster exploded from the blocks. There was an expectant roar for the game's first scrum and an even bigger one when the Leinster pack gained the game's first penalty to earn an initial territorial foothold in what was a declaration of intent. Leinster's Tommy O'Brien challenges for the ball with Sebastian De Klerk of the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho When another penalty to the corner ensued and Sheehan hit Baird for a third time at the front in their opening three lineouts, the maul was held up. But Sheehan peeled off tellingly and Tommy O'Brien's decisive clearout paved the path for Conan to plough through one tackle and score. Also aware of the goalkicking and defensive issues which Prendergast brought into the game, there were roars after he executed a difficult conversion and then led the line to make his tackle on Harold Vorster. Leinster's defence and aerial game continued to win all the 50-50 moments. After Vorster needlessly conceded a penalty for pushing his hand into the face of a prone Joe McCarthy, Tommy O'Brien reclaimed McGrath's box kick and then Barrett made the call, and was already moving, when the scrumhalf chipped into space. Barrett then cleverly volleyed the bouncing ball first time over Willie le Roux and Tommy O'Brien permitted the departing All Black to win the touchdown for his seventh try in 15 games. Prendergast converted again to make it 14-0 inside 14 minutes. Josh van der Flier was making his presence felt everywhere, notably when driving back Jan-Hendrik Wessels and with another scrum penalty advantage, Prendergast spiralled a majestic 50-22 when playing with house money. Le Roux, who would have an abject day, riskily tried a cross-kick inside his own 22 and was fortunate to see Lowe knock on. Cue another bout of aerial ping-pong which Leinster again won, as Jimmy O'Brien countered. Leinster probed the blindside off the recycle, Conan making the carry and offload before Tommy O'Brien transferred quickly for Sheehan to make inroads along the touchline in his inimitable style. Leinster's Dan Sheehan fends off the challenge of Embrose Papier of the Bulls. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Somehow Marcell Coetzee was not yelled-carded when then coming in from the side to take out Tommy O'Brien but the penalty was tapped into the corner, Shehan hit McCarthy at the tail and Van der Flier emerged from the maul to score untouched. Prendergast missed that touchline conversion and two more attacks ended when he opted to kick before touch judge Mike Adamson appeared to miss Le Roux putting his standing foot on the touchline in his own 22. This effectively led to a Bulls attacking lineout when their fullback found grass to finally win an aerial duel. There followed two prolonged, close-range, multiphase Bulls attacks. But Van der Flier set the tone for the first with a chop tackle on Coetzee off a five-metre scrum, and Baird did likewise for the second when driving back the Bulls' number eight after a lineout drive five metres out. That attack and the first half ended with Le Roux floating a pass forward intended for Johan Grobbelaar on the edge, prompting an animated Prendergast to smack hands with a plethora of team-mates, while Baird cupped his ear to the crowd as Leinster jogged to the dressingroom 19-0 ahead, whereas the Bulls trudged off. On the resumption, more effective work off the ball by Barrett led to a penalty which Prendergast landed before the Bulls' blunt attack eventually delivered in the 51st minute. A scrum penalty to the corner led to replacement hooker Aker van der Merwe scoring off a close-range lineout. Johan Goosen converted and another scrum penalty seemed to confirm the momentum swing but Snyman's counter-ruck and Leinster's fringe line speed forced a turnover and with a scrum penalty advantage, both Prendergast and Snyman made inroads. Fintan Gunne scores a try despite the attempt of Willie le Roux to stop him. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The introduction of Kelleher and Slimani, soon after Snyman, proved telling, another scrum penalty leading to two close-range assaults on the Bulls' line. But two knock-ons, the first by Snyman, were compounded by Prendergast missing a kickable penalty. Even so, after Tommy O'Brien restored Leinster's aerial supremacy – alas Sebastian de Klerk injured his knee in the duel – with a strong power play off a lineout, Prendergast atoned to make it 25-7 before he and McGrath were replaced by Fintan Gunne and the departing Ross Byrne. Confirmation that this most definitely not Le Roux's day came with an unforced knock-on outside his own 22, prompting cheers when the double World Cup winner then irately kicked the ball off the pitch. To add to his frustration, from the ensuing scrum Gunne looped around a three-man attacking pod and took the expertly timed pull back from Byrne to beat Zak Burger on his outside and take Le Roux's tackle to score a fine try. That sealed the deal and there were also appreciative cheers when, fittingly, Byrne landed the conversion. The fans could breath a little easier and start the 'Lein-ster' chants, and soon after Conan – with a little help from the tracksuited duo of Caelan Doris and Cian Healy – could lift the trophy. At last. Cue a raucous lap of honour and party time. SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Conan try, Prendergast con 7-0; 14: Barrett try, Prendergast con 14-0; 22: van der Flier 19-0; ( half-time 19-0 ); 44: Prendergast pen 22-0; 51: Van der Merwe try, Goosen con 22-7; 68: Prendergast pen 25-7; 73: Gunne try, Byrne con 32-7. LEINSTER: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: RG Snyman for Ryan (42 mins); Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, Rabah Slimani for Clarkson (both 56); Fintan Gunne for McGrath, Ross Byrne for Prendergast (both 69), Jack Boyle for Porter, Max Deegan for Conan, Jamie Osborne for Ringrose (all 74). BULLS: Willie le Roux; Canon Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (capt), Marcell Coetzee. Replacements: Jannes Kirsten for Wiese (36 mins); Akker van der Merwe for Grobbelaar (45); Alulutho Tshakweni for Wessels (52); Mornay Smith for Louw, Nizaam Carr for Coetzee (both 65); Devon Williams for de Klerk (66), Keagan Johannes for Goosen (68), Zak Burger for Papier (71). Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR).
Irish Examiner
18 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Imperious Leinster display puts Champions Cup disappointment firmly in rear view mirror
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The Irish Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Stupid' – Josh Rock hits out at ‘disrespectful' World Cup of Darts rival's on-stage antics
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