Rassie reveals the blueprint for a Bulls upset in Dublin
AUDIO: If the Bulls are finally going to break their United Rugby Championship final curse, the blueprint has already been laid out for them.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus believes the Stormers showed exactly how Leinster can be beaten. The only caveat? Stay on the field.
The Cape side pushed the defending champions all the way before falling short, with yellow and red cards ultimately proving costly in a contest that was far closer than the final scoreline suggested.
“I think the Stormers were really, really physical and never gave up,” Erasmus told Rugby365 this week during a Springbok media briefing.
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“If the Bulls look at what the Stormers did, Leinster are going to be tough; we all know that. But if you want to look at a blueprint on how to beat them, without getting a yellow or red card here or there, they can look at the Stormers. They came really close.”
The Springbok coach’s assessment is simple: Leinster can be rattled if opponents match their intensity, dominate collisions, and remain disciplined enough to stay in the contest for 80 minutes.
The Stormers managed much of that.
Despite playing away from home against a side packed with Irish internationals, they never backed down physically. They challenged Leinster at the gain line, disrupted their rhythm and carried the belief that they could win.
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Fortunately for the Pretoria side, physicality is already one of their greatest strengths.
Their pack is arguably the most powerful in the competition. Players like Wilco Louw, Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cameron Hanekom, Marcell Coetzee and Ruan Nortje have built a reputation for overwhelming opponents through sheer power and work rate.
If they can consistently win the collisions and slow down Leinster’s quick-ball game, they immediately give themselves a chance.
The Bulls also arrive with something the Stormers perhaps lacked in Dublin: momentum.
They have won eight consecutive matches and appear to be peaking at exactly the right time. Their demolition of Edinburgh in the quarterfinal and professional semifinal victory over the Sharks showed a team growing in confidence and maturity.
The Stormers proved Leinster can be placed under pressure. What they could not do was maintain that pressure for the full contest after ill-discipline handed momentum back to the Irish side.
The Bulls cannot afford the same mistake.
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick added to the comments of Erasmus, saying: “From my side, first, you’ve mentioned Jacques on the other side. You guys all know that Jacques will always have a special place in our hearts.
“We’ve worked with him for years. So, we’ll always love him,” Stick said, but made it clear where South African loyalties lie.
“The Bulls are part of our family,” Stick said.
“We might have 15 or 16 players joining our Springbok squad afterwards. The better the Bulls do in the final, the better it is for us as a team.
“As a proud South African, I wish the Bulls all the best.”
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