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Leinster's view on the South African sides in the URC
By Rugby365
The South African franchises have played a huge role in the reboot of European Rugby and the URC, says Leinster coach Leo Cullen.
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Leinster are currently on top of the URC table following a very gruelling two-week trip to South Africa.
The Irish giants, missing some high-profile players like Johny Sexton and prop Tadhg Furlong, suffered back-to-back defeats to the Springbok-laden Sharks and the Stormers.
However, they secured losing bonus points in each match respectively.
Leinster will now host a play-off game at the Aviva Stadium, with the opposition to be confirmed after the final round of the league matches.
“I guess it is a case of mission accomplished,” Cullen told reporters after the 13-20 defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.
“We came into this tour with the intent to win two games. We were frustrated with our performance against the Sharks, and there were moments when our composure let us down against the Stormers.
“However, we have always been aiming for that No.1 seed [in the United Rugby Championship] so to get a couple of losing bonus points is a case of job done.”
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Leinster have been the top team in Europe for the last couple of years, winning four straight Pro14 (now the URC) titles since 2017.
However, for the first time, it might look like their superiority will be under threat with the inclusion of South African sides.
The Stormers, Bulls and Sharks all qualified for the play-offs and it could be that one of them might play against Leinster in the knock-outs.
Despite the threat, the Leinster coach had huge praise for the SA sides and stated it was a major boost for the tournament.
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“Speaking on behalf of Leinster – we are unbelievably excited with the arrival of the four South African teams. The ‘Big Four’, as we call them.
“It’s a real shot in the arm for the tournament. We will hopefully have some great battles over the next few years.
“There are some good young talent here as well. I watched some of the Varsity Cup on TV over the last 10 days and there is a rich reservoir of talent here. We are really excited about what the future holds for this tournament.
“I have grown up watching Super Rugby and you always wonder what it would be like for Leinster to play against these Super Rugby teams.
“Now we are doing it. It is amazing.
“We had a lot of fear and trepidation for Round One when we played the Bulls at the Aviva because we had just watched them win the Currie Cup.
“We know Jake is a wily old coach as well with a few tricks up the sleeve.
“We just have a huge amount of excitement for the future of this tournament because of the quality you have down here.
“Rugby is all around you. People are constantly interested in the team and the games. And it looks like there will be a fair South African flavour in the playoffs, so there could be some great battles ahead.”
