Cape Town — Leinster have won the last four titles, when the United Rugby Championship was the PRO14, and they have been overall European champions four times — and lost in the final in 2019 and two weeks ago.
That is the size of the mountain facing the Bulls in Friday night’s URC semi-final at the RDS Arena in Dublin (8.35pm SA time kickoff), but it’s not one that is daunting for captain Marcell Coetzee.
The openside flank has had a taste of the Leinster brigade when he was at Ulster, and he insists that his Bulls team are ready to square off with Johnny Sexton’s side.
“There are a lot of factors that come into account. Semi-final playoffs, there is always going to be high pressure, building up to a wonderful atmosphere at home… There’s that psychology as well, and I think the boys have already decided when we left South Africa that we are a really motivated team for this game,” the 31-year-old Springbok said from the Irish capital on Tuesday.
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“Whether you can sustain your game-plan while the pressure is on… We have been consistent and doing this for weeks now, where we had to play every game as if it was our last, and we’ve grown into that norm. This weekend is not going to be any different.
“We respect them and acknowledge what they’ve done over the last couple of years, and it’s going to be game-on!”
Coach Jake White is missing a number of key personnel who are injured, such as Lionel Mapoe and Cyle Brink from recent months — and Johan Goosen and others on long-term layoffs.
But at least he will have one serious cannon back in the arsenal in the shape of Kurt-Lee Arendse, the electric fullback who has finally recovered from a broken thumb.
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The Bulls have been successful due to the sum of their parts rather than individual brilliance over the last few weeks, with a hard-working pack inspired by Coetzee and Ruan Nortje, and a steady backline marshalled by flyhalf Chris Smith.
Arendse, though, is someone who could give the much-vaunted Leinster defence something to think about.
“Having Kurt-Lee back in the squad is phenomenal,” Coetzee said. “He’s had an exceptional season for the Bulls, and he is that player on the field that just brings that X-factor, that can create something out of nothing — which is what you want when the tide is high and the pressure is on.
“You need that bit of magic, that game-breaker, and he is definitely one of them.
“It’s a playoff game, and it’s 50-50 on the day — anything can happen, and it’s about… we just want to fire some shots and we want to implement our game, and we are going to go wholeheartedly for it.
“You don’t make the trip just to cruise around here. It’s business and we are looking forward to it. It’s a great challenge playing Leinster, and it’s a game where you can measure yourself as a team and as an individual. It’s a great chance to see where we stand.”
IOL Sport