Is it possible that a coach hailing from South Africa takes home the URC trophy when the season concludes? Jake White of the Bulls and Jacques Nienaber from Leinster, who are set to meet at the RDS on Friday night, could potentially be the ones to do so. Each of them boasts a World Cup victory on their resume, with White leading the Springboks to triumph in 2007, and Nienaber earning accolades from the past two tournaments.
Speaking on the upcoming match in Dublin, White expressed excitement, billing it as an excellent opportunity to gauge the team’s collective progress. He noted the strength of the Leinster team, many of whom are veterans of international Irish rugby and have seen recent victories in the Six Nations. These players, he pointed out, had also vanquished the World Cup-winning Springboks. Furthermore, he acknowledged their expertise in competing in both the BKT URC and the Champions Cup.
The Bulls are currently positioned second on the URC leaderboard following a 31-10 victory over Dragons in Wales last week. In a resemblance to Leinster, they’ve slated a home game against Lyon, a French club, within the last 16 of the Champions Cup. They’re known to have dealt significant blows to the Dublin-based Leinster team, a memory that remains fresh from last year’s crushing 62-7 defeat at Loftus Versfeld in South Africa, and the shocking one-point URC semi-final win at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in 2022.
Springbok and outhalf Johan Goosen, with his tally of 98 points trailing only Edinburgh’s Ben Healy, is considered the top player in URC for conversions with a current total of 31. The Bulls have also made alterations to their 23-player squad, welcoming back Elrigh Louw from a shoulder injury. Joining him in the backrow are Marco van Staden and Marcell Coetzee, former Ulster stand-out and Bulls’ captain.
The team from Pretoria has showcased remarkable performance this season, hoping to lead the league. Van Staden, alongside wingers Kurt-Lee Arendse and Canan Moodie, and fullback Willie le Roux, was part of the victorious 33-man Springbok squad in the World Cup.