ANOTHER ENTHRALLING KNOCK-out contest but a familiar feeling for Leinster at the end. Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber’s side were second best in Pretoria today and surely there can’t be too many arguments about the Bulls being deserved . They had Leinster chasing from the off, even if they didn’t immediately get scoreboard reward for their clever kicking game.
Virtually every Bulls possession in the opening quarter involved a smart kick from out-half Johan Goosen or fullback Willie le Roux. They weren’t interested in playing into the heart of Leinster’s defence with ball in hand, so Goosen and le Roux found kick space on the edges. Their cross-kicking tested Leinster’s lungs at altitude in Loftus Versfeld.
In the end, that fatigue told as the Irish province’s efforts to rescue this semi-final came up short. 34-year-old le Roux is a man who knows the Nienaber defence well, having been part of it for so long with the Springboks and his kicking was key. It was le Roux’s stunning 50:22 kick that led to the Bulls’ opening try through Goosen, allowing them to equalise after Leinster had drawn first blood.
That score from James Lowe showed Leinster at their most clinical down in the Bulls’ 22 soon after a disallowed try for the hosts, but they didn’t have enough visits like that one over the 80 minutes. Jake White’s side were able to keep them pinned in their half for long periods of the match. The Bulls went at Leinster aggressively in the scrum and earned p.