Jacques Nienaber and Luke McGrath said Leinster are relishing the opportunity to lock horns with a world-class Vodacom Bulls outfit in Pretoria on Saturday.
Leinster, though, will have to overcome history when they return to Loftus this week. The table-topping Irish giants have struggled in the Republic, winning just once in seven matches in the URC.
Their 2023 trip to the Bulls’ fortress, with a weakened side, ended in a record 62-7 defeat, while their strongest side fell 25-20 in last season’s URC semi-final. With several Ireland internationals rested, Leo Cullen’s men face a tough test against the Herd.
The majority of the Leinster squad arrived in Mzansi over the weekend for a two-match tour. Speaking in a teleconference on Monday, senior coach Nienaber acknowledged the Bulls challenge, followed by next week’s clash against the Sharks in Durban.
“The biggest challenge is just playing a very good team. We got unstuck against them [last season],” the former Springbok boss said.
“A well organised, settled team with a lot of international experience and we’re playing against them at Loftus. A good coaching team around them; for me, that’s probably the challenge.”
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Leinster’s timing in South Africa has often coincided with international and European cup commitments. This season is no different, as they juggle the end of the Six Nations and an Investec Champions Cup clash against Harlequins on 5 April.
“In the two years I’ve been with the club we’ve always got our South African tour in this slot, between the end of the Six Nations and European knockout games,” Nienaber said.
“It always makes it tough, especially if you’ve got some of your squad playing a large chunk of the Six Nations. But this group that’s here, that we don’t need to manage, they relish the challenge and they are selected because we believe they’re good enough and they can get a result for us.
“And how exciting is it to come to Loftus and face the Bulls, who’ve got international threats all over the ball. Mentally and physically we’re going to have to be at our best when presented with opportunities, and we’re going to have to take those opportunities.”
Leinster are unbeaten in the URC this season, but Nienaber insists that past performances mean little when faced with two of the league’s strongest teams.
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“There’s good momentum within the squad if you look at performance, but the key thing for us is just focusing on the Bulls,” the two-time World Cup winner said.
“It’s about not looking back too much and what happened in the past, because it’s in the past. But also not looking up and too far into the future, and think about European games – let’s just focus on playing the Bulls.
“We’ve got matches against two in-form South African teams, the Bulls and the Sharks. We’re just focusing on that. We’ve spoken about it, not worrying about the past or the future and literally just staying focused on today and tomorrow’s training session.”
Scrumhalf McGrath, meanwhile, highlighted the all-round threat posed by the Bulls: “There’s challenges everywhere, especially if you start in the pack. They’re very good at the breakdown, got a strong lineout drive and scrum, and have a very good kicking game as well – Willie le Roux and Embrose Papier.
“And then they’ve speed on the outside as well, so there’s challenges everywhere. They’re a world-class team.”
Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images
