Former Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White believes the Stormers must do two things if they want to beat Leinster in Saturday’s URC semi-final in Dublin.
The first thing is to stop the defending champions from building an early lead and the second, disrupt their lineout.
“Leinster usually start games well. They can quickly go 14-0 ahead and then you’re forced to play catch-up rugby, which is always difficult,” White told Netwerk24.
White coached the Bulls to a famous 27-26 victory over a full-strength Leinster side in their 2022 URC semi-final at the RDS Arena. The Bulls conceded an early try, but led 17-14 at half-time.
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White recalled how the Bulls repeatedly disrupted Leinster’s lineout in that game.
“It’s very difficult to defend against Leinster when they have lineouts as a platform because they can vary their play so well from there,” he said.
“Everything at Leinster is about rhythm. Once they get it, it’s attack after attack. You have to break that rhythm and force them into shorter passages of play.”
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White noted that injuries to locks Ruben van Heerden and JD Schickerling could make that task harder for the Stormers.
“Whoever fills Ruben’s boots will have to play a big game against Leinster,” he said.
He also expects Leinster to target Stormers fetcher Paul de Villiers.
“If he has to make the tackle, it’s difficult for him to then compete for the ball at the breakdown.”
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The post Jake reveals blueprint to beat Leinster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White believes the Stormers must do two things if they want to beat Leinster in Saturday’s URC semi-final in Dublin.
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