3 days ago
Jake White: Bulls URC title crucial for SA fan buy-in
Jake White says a victory for the Bulls in tomorrow's Croke Park final would be a catalyst for SA fans to 'buy in' to the Vodacom URC.
Speaking ahead of the title clash with Leinster, the Bulls director of rugby underlined how a maiden URC title for the Herd could shift perception at home and solidify support for the cross-hemisphere competitions SA teams joined post-Super Rugby in 2020.
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White believes the growth of public interest hinges on results and consistency from South African teams in the URC and EPCR competitions, the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.
'Winning matters,' he said. 'I've coached in Super Rugby and reached a final with the Brumbies, and I can tell you – this is just as big.'
After guiding the Springboks to the 2007 Rugby World Cup title, White coached the Brumbies to the 2013 Super Rugby final and the Sharks to the 2014 semi-finals before joining Montpellier in the Top 14.
'People didn't buy into Super Rugby at first either. They didn't know who the guys from Otago or Waikato were, and over time they saw the value. It's the same with the URC. They still don't fully understand what counts as URC or EPCR [matches].
'We need to win this tournament as it could help our public take it more seriously,' said White. 'I've got some messages from back home, and it's from people in Cape Town who are supporting the Bulls, and people in Durban who are supporting the Bulls.
'That's just what happens when rugby fever hits; they've bought into it and it's no different to how it happened in Super Rugby.'
Tomorrow marks the Bulls' third URC final in four seasons and the first to be staged outside of the Republic. The Pretoria side, beaten by the Stormers in 2022 and Glasgow last year, have beaten Leinster in two semi-finals and hold a 4-2 edge in past meetings.
The Bulls beat the Sharks 25-13 in a tense semi-final last week despite three yellow cards, while Leinster smashed Glasgow 37-19. It's a meeting of the league's top two sides, with plenty at stake for both.
'Let's be fair, we're playing Ireland on Saturday, just in a different colour jersey,' White said. 'That's probably why South Africa have all tuned in because they know these players as Irish internationals.'
The post Bulls aim to turn SA fans into URC diehards appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
