'Bulls better prepared for final against Leinster'

THE Bulls play their third United Rugby Championship (URC) final in four years on Saturday in Dublin, and the good news for their supporters is that coach Jake White believes the team is better prepared than ever.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The Bulls were losing finalists in the inaugural URC final against the Storm-ers, and last year they were shocked in Pretoria by the Glasgow Warriors.

This week, they face the daunting challenge of beating Leinster at Croke Park. But after four years together, White says the team has evolved and learned from painful lessons.

“One thing I am very proud of is how we have made changes to our squad - bringing in new guys all the time - and have still won big games,” White said. “That makes me positive about what is coming this week.

“My job is to channel the positive energy of where we are in the season and what we have achieved; the calibre of players we have to play Leinster; and the leadership growth we have seen.

“A lot of the players have beaten Leinster in big games,” White continued.

“We did not have Cameron Hanekom when we beat them there in 2021 - in a URC semi-final. We had Marcell (Coetzee) and Marco (van Staden), to name just two, and we will have them again.