Leinster ‘hungrier' than Bulls for URC success — Dan Sheehan
Both Leinster and the Bulls have had dry spells since last winning a major title and will be hungry to lift the URC trophy in Dublin on Saturday.
Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan believes no team is hungrier than they are to lift the URC title in Dublin this coming weekend. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan believes that his side are 'hungrier' than the Bulls are to lift the United Rugby Championship (URC) title at Croke Park on Saturday when the teams collide in the competition's Grand Final.
It has been a dire time for Leinster fans over the past four years, with them unable to win a single major trophy, despite them bosting arguably the strongest club team in the world.
Their last taste of major success came in the 2020-21 Pro14 season when they won their fourth straight title, but after that the South African sides joined, turning the competition into the URC, and Leinster haven't won since.
They have also stumbled on the biggest stage, in the Champions Cup, since last winning that in the 2017-18 season. They have gone on to finish runners up four times, reached the semifinals twice and the quarterfinals once.
It has thus been a long dry spell for one of Europe's powerhouse teams and they will be desperate to get back into the winners' circle this weekend, as evidenced by Sheehan's impassioned words.
'Absolutely no way that will happen. We've had six weeks or however long it is to focus on the URC and we've been trophyless the last however many years and I think the hunger is there for sure in the group,' said Sheehan after being asked if the Bulls would be hungrier for the title.
'There's absolutely no way that a team will be hungrier than us. You can feel the buzz coming in this morning, people are excited, (and it's) another final to look forward to.'
Hungry Bulls
The Bulls will however also be very hungry for the title, as they have been in a long dry spell themselves, having last tasted success in the local Currie Cup competition in 2021.
Their last success in international tournaments is all the way back in 2010, when they secured their third Super Rugby title, and have since lost in three major international finals, the 2021 Rainbow Cup, and the 2021-22 and 2023-24 URC finals.
The Bulls have had success over Leinster in the URC knockouts, beating them twice in the URC semis, 20-19 in the 2021-22 campaign in Dublin, and 25-20 in Pretoria last season, and Sheehan admits they will have learnt from those losses heading into the final.
'We've taken our lessons from it over the years. I'm sure we'll refer back to it during the week if there are poignant messages we need to take from it again, to remind ourselves,' said Sheehan.
'But we are focussing on the here and now, the present squad. That might be fuel for the fire, that the Bulls have got the better of us over the last couple of years for sure. They are a dangerous team, and we need to make sure we turn up.
'We didn't play the worst against them over the last couple of years and they still got the better of us, so we need to make sure we are all guns blazing.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
4 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
The difference? Lungi Ngidi just needed a change of ends
At the end of the first day, when asked what advice he might give to Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada mentioned, steak, milkshake, a movie and a good night's sleep. Ngidi wouldn't confirm if he followed any of his good pal's counsel — besides the sleep obviously. But as it turned out, all he needed was to change ends. His two four-over spells in Australia's first innings on Wednesday's day one of the World Test Championship final at Lord's were dreadful. Ngidi couldn't find the right length and as a result, he also battled to locate the right lines to bowl. He conceded seven boundaries, the majority of them because he either over-pitched or bowled too wide of off stump. 'I was just struggling with a bit of rhythm from (the Pavilion End). I swapped ends and I felt a lot better,' he told the BBC. At the Pavilion End, where the infamous Lord's slope runs from Ngidi's left as he bowled, it would have felt like he was falling away from the stumps. For visiting bowlers it can always be a challenge here no matter how many overs are done at training. The @ProteasMenCSA 's shining star of the day shares his post-match thoughts 🎙️🇿🇦 #WTC25 | #SSCricket — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 12, 2025 For a bowler with Ngidi's height and physique, it can be extremely difficult and that was certainly the case on the first day where his economy rate of 5.7 stood out among all the bowlers — from both teams. No-one else conceded more than 3.5 runs an over. There were understandable groans when he was handed the ball after tea, with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne on strike in Australia's second innings on Thursday. The feeling from a number of ex-players commentating on the World Test Championship final was Rabada, who had kept the Proteas in touch before the interval by taking two wickets, should have continued to bowl, particularly before Smith, had settled. But the South African brains trust chose to show faith in Ngidi, whose height and pace were given as reasons for his selection ahead of Dane Paterson for this match. 'It doesn't make a difference to me, opinions or whatever it is,' he said. While he may not have read or heard the criticism after his performance in the first innings, he'd have known he wasn't up to standards, the team has set, but most importantly that he has for himself. 'Obviously, it's been a very long time since I've played Test cricket — about nine months, 10 months, something like that. And that's with me. I obviously know why I was selected.' The best of Lungi Ngidi in isiXhosa 😏🎙️🇿🇦 #WTC25 | #SSCricket — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 12, 2025 It was August last year in Trinidad that Ngidi last played a Test match. He bowled 16.5 overs, and took one wicket in that match. He was dropped for the second Test of that series against West Indies and with injuries and then having to complete a strength and conditioning block, Ngidi missed the six Tests South Africa played and won to qualify for the Lord's showpiece. Offered an opportunity for redemption, and with that change of ends, Ngidi ripped South Africa back into a contest that Australian had taken firm control of. 'Obviously it was very disappointing not to get up to their [first innings total]. But credit where its due, they bowled very well. They put us under pressure and unfortunately we were that far [74 runs] behind,' Ngidi said. 'But once we started bowling, we realised that there was still enough in the wicket to bring that margin down. I was really looking to just finding a bit of rhythm.' That Ngidi certainly did, bowling a nine-over spell that took him through the first hour of the final session and beyond the drinks break. 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎 | 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐒 Lungi Ngidi is the star of the show at Lord's as the @ProteasMenCSA build momentum 😤🇿🇦 #WTC25 | #SSCricket — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 12, 2025 'Lungi struggled in the first innings, but he is a chilled guy. I don't think he was too affected by it,' said his teammate David Bedingham. 'To bowl nine overs on the bounce, takes a massive amount of effort. We are lucky to have him.' The wicket of Smith was the confidence booster Ngidi needed and instilled belief in his teammates at a time it may have been flagging. Their reaction once television replays came up with three red blocks, confirming Smith was out lbw, set the spark for what turned into a thrilling couple of hours of play. 'Once you get a moment like that, you don't want to really let it go because it could change the game. So I just kept going until my legs pretty much told me that's enough now,' Ngidi said. He described Smith's and Beau Webster's wickets as personal highlights. 'They got the better of me in the first innings.' 'But once I got a bit of rhythm and the ball was moving around a bit, I felt very confident again.' And at the end of the second day, so do his teammates. Australia, on 144-8, led by 2018 runs after South Africa had been out for a miserable 138 in their first innings earlier. South Africa have two wickets to get, and won't want Australia's advantage to reach 250. Pat Cummins, who also produced a mesmerising spell earlier in the day to his side in the ascendancy, said such a target would allow him to attack when South Africa batted. 'If you told me this was a position we'd be in at the end of the day, I definitely would have taken it,' Ngidi said. Excitement and confidence are high in the Proteas camp, Bedingham confirmed. 'It's an amazing chance, we are very, very excited by the opportunity to win. It could go either way, but we are very excited.' Ngidi's impact, so profound, so thrilling, created that chance. His redemption act has given them all hope.
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs transfers: Percy Tau and Renaldo Leaner
Kaizer Chiefs supporters have not been able to ignore the possibility of Percy Tau finding a new home at Naturena. Soon before Tau left Al Ahly last season, Amakhosi were said to be targeting the 31-year-old, but he opted to join Qatar SC. Tau is a free agent again, all while Kaizer Chiefs are in the market for experienced attacking players. Find out what the former Sundowns ace has said about the prospect of going to Naturena. 'If Sundowns were not to send me an offer and Chiefs do, then it is not my fault,' Percy Tau said… Full story here. Reports say Sekhukhune United and Bafana Bafana's newly-capped 27-year-old goalkeeper, Leaner, has been noticed by the Glamour Boys. 'Kaizer Chiefs are set to make an enquiry to Sekhukhune United over goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner, who has broken into the senior national team,' iDiski Times reported… Full story here. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Ngidi fires Proteas back into contention on day of supersonic Test cricket
Supersonic Test cricket. That's what day two turned into. What at tea looked like being a cruise for Australia, suddenly went haywire. There was redemption for Lungi Ngidi. A stunning blow from Wiaan Mulder. The DRS worked in South Africa's favour. And as a result, a World Test Championship final at Lord's that looked to be over at tea was brought back to life on Thursday. That it was Ngidi who provided the resuscitation was the biggest shock. But Test cricket provides that kind of opportunity. By the end, Australia, on 144/8 in the second innings after South Africa's collapse to 138 in their first, had a precious, but still precarious, lead of 218. Much-maligned, understandably so, after such a horrible display on the opening day, Ngidi was given the ball immediately after the tea interval. There were groans all around from the many South African fans here and numerous ex-players either watching socially or on official commentary duties.
