The Vodacom Bulls have been in knockout mode since the latter stages of the regular season and captain Marcell Coetzee says this counts in their favour as they stampede into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-finals.
The Bulls have jetted out to Dublin, where they will take on Leinster – log leaders and defending champions – at the RDS Arena on Friday night.
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The Irish provincial team opened the season by slamming the Bulls 31-3 in Dublin and have gone on to win 13 of their 18 matches this season. Leinster have lost just once at home all season – to Irish rivals Ulster last November – and Coetzee and his teammates need no extra motivation to knock the eight-time champions off their perch.
“There are a lot of factors that you need to take into account when you’re preparing to face a team like Leinster,” said Coetzee from the Irish capital on Tuesday.
“There’s obviously always is going to be an atmosphere where the pressure is high when you play a semi-final, but getting over the psychological barriers is also important.
“When we climbed on to the plane, we had already made the decision that we’re really motivated and keen to play this game. One question that always needs to be answered in a playoff game is whether you can sustain your gameplan when the pressure is on.
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“We back our system, we’ve been doing this continuously for weeks now. We’ve had to play all our games as if it’s going to be our last interest in this season’s tournament. We’re used to that norm now.”
A chink in Leinster’s seemingly impenetrable armour was exposed in the Champions Cup final by La Rochelle, as the unfancied French outfit used the set piece and power of their pack to claim the European title.
“Whenever you play playoffs, the pillar of your success is your set piece. If your set piece functions on the day that is something you can work from,” Coetzee said.
“It can help you get in the right areas. We will be working very hard on our set pieces for this game. We have been doing well in that department this season. We just need to continue building that.
“In any playoff, the set pieces need to function. It just helps you get control … like La Rochelle did against Leinster.”
Photo: Billy Stickland/INPHO/Shutterstock
