Jake White: Bulls Have a Lotto Ticket – Now It’s Time to Cash In Against Leinster

Saturday's United Rugby Championship final between Leinster and the Bulls will be played at Croke Park, which began life as Dublin's City and Suburban Racecourse, and Bulls Head Coach Jake White has highlighted the pedigree of the Irish side, while also pointing out that his team are thoroughbreds as well.

Leinster comfortably dispatched defending champions Glasgow Warriors 37-19 in their semifinal, while the Bulls beat the Sharks 25-13, finding it very tough at times to subdue their defiant opposition.

There was much relief at the end of the gruelling South African derby against their Springbok-laden arch-rivals, but the Bulls' celebrations were notably muted as they completed their home fixtures at Loftus Versfeld, probably due to a combination of exhaustion and the knowledge that they had not produced the sort of performance that would beat an elite team like Leinster away from home. 

Coach White said he was pleased that the feeling in the Bulls camp is clearly that their race has not yet been run.

"I think they celebrated the way they should because we have won nothing yet. A semifinal doesn't matter and we didn't even win the South African Shield. If we had been all vocal about beating the Sharks then it would have meant that we had played our final, so I'm quite chuffed that didn't happen. It's good that there were no laps of honour, but the players did go out and thank the fans because it was our last home game," White told SportsBoom.co.za.

Underdog Story? 

"I believe we are good enough to win the final, even though beating Leinster away from home is never easy. They are loaded with internationals and British and Irish Lions, plus RG Snyman, Rabah Slimani and Jordie Barrett. We are playing against the form team, they have only lost twice in the URC this season. They have been the toughest team to play against the last four years and our players are going to be tested probably like they never have before."

"This is a completely different challenge, but previous results don't matter, they are immaterial. We have a lotto ticket and you can't win if you don't have a ticket. We have a 50% chance of winning. We know how tough finals are and it's going to be like Ireland versus the Bulls, we can't underplay how good Leinster are. Look what they did to Glasgow, so I'm sure they'll be on a high."

"So we'll need to work hard and we will have to play really well. It's when you expect your senior players to be really important. Willie le Roux, Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie are all World Cup winners. We have guys who are experienced in playing in finals, they have paid their school fees and they can talk about what works and what doesn't."

"Sometimes the underdogs win, that's what gets people talking about sport, those are the occasions that make people watch sport. We've got a special opportunity, we need to channel that positive energy and be mentally and physically prepared. A lot of our guys have beaten Leinster before," White said.

Bulls defence which was tested

It was the Bulls' heroic defence, which was really tested because they received three yellow cards in quick succession, that ultimately won the day against the Sharks. But John Plumtree, the Sharks coach, admitted his frustration afterwards that his team's attack had been "off" in the semifinal and they struggled to keep momentum, to cash in on numerous opportunities close to the Bulls line or complete their counter-attacks.

Leinster will surely pose a sterner defensive test.

"Leinster will move the ball around more, they don't be as direct as the Sharks. Their attack will be a completely different challenge, it's one of the best," White told SportsBoom.co.za. 

"But when we had 12 men we managed to keep the Sharks out and that last five minutes of the first half was when we won the game."

"I'd give the team 12 out of 10 for the way they showed such attitude in defence, they really fronted up and it ensured there was a very different vibe at halftime. We had to work really hard and help each other, but knockout rugby is about the arm-wrestle, staying in the fight. The way you win the battle is by doing the things you're good at, not the extraordinary stuff."

"A guy like Cobus Wiese showed that against a really tough, resilient team with his defensive effort, the way he kept getting up and making the big hits, keeping them from our tryline. I hope he gets a Test cap soon because this union prides itself on producing Test locks," White concluded.