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Irish Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Joe Canning: Long winter for Cork as they come to terms with being outfoxed by Tipp when victory was in sight
Hindsight is easy. It's what everyone does as soon as the final whistle blows. It's what we're doing here now. But before you knew what happened next, put yourself in the Cork dressing room at half-time last Sunday. They had just scored 1-16 against a sweeper. Without being anywhere near their free-flowing best, they were six points up in the All-Ireland hurling final . Maybe the goal before half-time helped create a false narrative and you could argue that Cork didn't deserve to be so far ahead, but if you're the Cork management in that scenario, you're not thinking about changing anything significant. Just like Tipperary in the other dressing room, you're sticking to your guns. That looks like a mistake on Cork's part now. At half-time last Sunday, though, nobody was screaming that Cork needed to do something radical. Ten years ago, I played on a Galway team that was three points ahead against Kilkenny at half-time in an All-Ireland final and had played well enough to be further clear. By that stage Galway hadn't won an All-Ireland in 27 years. We thought our time had come. In the first half, we had played well enough to win. READ MORE In the second half, Kilkenny blew us away. They just took over. The scoring wasn't nearly as dramatic as last Sunday, but we only scored 1-4 in the second half. The goal came in stoppage time, when Kilkenny were seven points clear. Did we tighten up? Probably. Looking back, it felt like everyone was almost waiting for someone else to step up. If the Cork players are honest with themselves, they'll probably admit to the same thing. Cork's Ciaran Joyce is tackled by Tipperary captain Ronan Maher. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho But when you strip that away, Cork lost the tactical battle hands-down. It wasn't just that Cork didn't manage Tipp's seventh defender, but they didn't seem to know what to do with the spare man at the back Tipp had given them. In the first half, Rob Downey was being run ragged across the field chasing puckouts. The Tipp half forwards were making lateral runs that were designed to create chaos. Cork played into that trap. Against the Tipp puckout they should have stayed zonal. The Cork defenders who were picking up Tipp's five forwards were under much more pressure than they should have been. Tipp were attracting Cork's half backs out the field and dragging Cork players into their attacking half, where Tipp already had numbers. All of that was creating space at the other end. In the middle of the last decade a lot of teams were playing with sweepers, even Cork. I remember we played them in an All-Ireland quarter-final in Thurles when Brian Murphy was their spare man. Cork manager Pat Ryan looks away after Eoin Downey is sent off. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho You often heard people say that you must mark the sweeper, even if that meant sacrificing somebody. I didn't try to mark Murphy that day, but I positioned myself behind him and made sure he knew I was there. In that way I occupied him more than he wanted to be occupied. Cork didn't try to dictate anything with Tipp's seventh defender. He set up exactly as Tipp planned and Cork didn't do anything to disrupt it. [ All-Ireland number four is Noel McGrath's sweetest yet, but he may already be plotting the drive for five Opens in new window ] Tipp had clearly worked out Cork's puckouts. Not just the long ones aimed at Brian Hayes and a cluster of players around the D, that everyone is expecting, but the kind of puckouts that worked against Dublin and other teams during the year. Finding Tim O'Mahony in a pocket of space had really worked at various times during the season. They tried it twice early in the game, straight after Tipp had a free inside the Cork 45. This was obviously a trigger, but both times Tipp snuffed it out. While the Cork half-backs were scrambling around trying to deal with Tipp puckouts, the Tipp backs were basically comfortable on Cork's restarts. Cork's Shane Barrett tries to prevent Willie Connors of Tipperary breaking free from the pack. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Tipp's first goal was a huge turning point. It was a mistake by Patrick Collins and there have been too many of those over the last couple of years. In the avalanche of scores that came later, Cork's response to the goal has been forgotten. Shane Barrett scored a great point directly from the puck-out and Tipp didn't score for the next four minutes. Their bounce from the goal wasn't immediate. In those four minutes, Séamus Harnedy came on as a sub and missed a great chance to draw Cork level. None of that was important at the end, but momentum is a volatile thing. Harnedy could have carried the ball another 20 yards to make sure of the score and everyone would have said that Cork had responded well to the goal. Four minutes after that, Eoin Downey was sent off and the game was effectively over. Tipp took a chance by going with an extra defender. Nobody had ever won an All-Ireland with a sweeper before. If Patrick Horgan had scored that free after half-time to put Cork seven points up, it wouldn't have taken much more for Tipp to start questioning their approach. Cork needed to push Tipp to that brink. Tipperary's goalkeeper Rhys Shelly watches as a Cork shot hits the upright. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho In the event, they couldn't. Cork have had the most potent attack all year, but on Sunday four of their six forwards were shut down. Only Barrett and Diarmuid Healy emerged with credit. How many of the Tipp forwards were shut down? None. Darragh McCarthy had his best game of the year, John McGrath had an incredible second half, Jake Morris, Jason Forde and Andrew Ormond all contributed with the sliotar and without it. Tipp won the All-Ireland with five forwards. There will be a lot of soul-searching in Cork over the coming months and a lot of blame shared around. That's just the nature of the beast. After the 2015 All-Ireland, Anthony Cunningham was forced out as the Galway manager. That's not going to happen in Cork. If Pat Ryan wants to stay, I'd be certain that the players and the county board wouldn't have any objection. No matter how close they got to the summit, Cork are back at the bottom of the mountain again.
The 42
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
4 key talking points as Kerry, Meath, Dublin and Galway chase All-Ireland final place
1. Kerry's All-Ireland Defence In New Era Kerry went into the 2025 season without ace forward Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh who announced her retirement after a glittering 17-year career. They also had a new man at the helm following the departure of the highly respected duo Darragh Long and Declan Quill after five years in charge. Tralee native Mark Bourke became the successor, but despite those big changes, Kerry remain on course to defend their All-Ireland title. After ending a 31-year wait for the Brendan Martin Cup last year, the Kingdom have added Division 1 and Munster honurs in 2025. They avenged their 2024 Division 1 final defeat to Armagh with a 4-14 to 0-11 victory over the same opposition in April. Danielle O'Leary led the way with 1-5 from play while Jadyn Lucey and All-Ireland-winning captain Niamh Carmody combined for 3-3 in a convincing display. They continued their winning trend throughout the Munster province, taking out Cork and Waterford to book their place in the final. They closed out the group stage of the competition with a 1-6 to 1-6 draw against Tipperary. Kerry head coach Mike Tim O'Sullivan told Radio Kerry after that game that Kerry had given championship time to 29 players in the round-robin phase. Advertisement Waterford, who lost out to Kerry by just one previously, provided the opposition in the final. And again, it was a tight encounter as goals from O'Leary and Mary O'Connell powered Kerry to victory. They went two wins from two in the All-Ireland group phase against Mayo (0-13 to 1-4) and Cork (2-9 to 5-7) and progressed to the semi-finals with a 10-point victory against a Kildare side who had dumped Ulster champions Armagh out of the All-Ireland race. Still unbeaten after seven championship outings, Kerry head for O'Connor Park in good health. Sinéad Goldrick after scoring a goal for Dublin in the 2019 All-Ireland final. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO 2. Dublin and Galway Meet Again It's just over 12 months since Galway got the better of Dublin after an extra-time arm wrestle. Aoife O'Rourke was the match-winner with a well-taken goal in Parnell Park, while Hannah Tyrrell was unable to convert a late equalising free from a tight angle. That result paved the way for Galway to march on to their first All-Ireland final appearance since 2019, overcoming Cork at the penultimate stage. That 2019 final was also against Dublin who were back-to-back All-Ireland champions at the time. Conditions were horrible that day, with the torrential rain limiting the teams to a bizarre half-time scoreline of Dublin 1-0 Galway 0-1. By full-time, Dublin had completed their three-in-a-row as Hannah O'Neill added their second goal with a palmed effort to help steer Dublin to a five-point win. The LGFA set a new All-Ireland final attendance record that day, with 56,114 people coming to Croke Park in spite of the bad weather. Some familiar faces from both sides are still involved from the class of 2019. Galway's twin sisters Nicola and Louise Ward are still core players while their Kilkerrin-Clonberne clubmate Olivia Divilly continues to be a devastating force up front. Martha Byrne and Carla Rowe both started for Dublin that day along with Sinéad Goldrick who scored a first-half goal. 3. Paul Casey and Derek Murray Chasing All-Ireland In Hot-Seat Similar to Kerry, Dublin also lost their long-term manager over the winter. Mick Bohan, who masterminded five All-Ireland titles throughout the last decade — including a four-in-a-row between 2017 and 2020 — stepped down after eight years in charge. But following his departure, former Dublin defender Paul Casey took over along with Derek Murray. The pair brought continuity to the position as they had both served under the previous administration. Bohan brought Casey on board at the outset in 2018, delegating him as a selector and defensive coach. Murray, an All-Ireland U21 winner with Dublin, joined the Dublin Ladies set-up in 2022. The duo have been hit with some big losses in personnel for 2025. Lauren Magee — who has suffered a torn ACL — is a massive loss for Dublin, as is Jennifer Dunne who is on AFL duty with the Brisbane Lions. But Dublin remain a firm favouirte for the All-Ireland. They completed a Leinster 12-in-a-row in May before topping Group 4 in the All-Ireland series. They started with a tricky assignment against an emerging Waterford outfit, needing two late scores from Tyrrell and Kate Sullivan to rescue a draw. But they bounced back with a comprehensive 8-18 to 0-7 victory over Leitrim. That was an interesting fixture as sisters Eilish and Laura O'Dowd played on opposite sides, with the former playing at midfield for Dublin. Their cousin Dearbhaile Beirne, who plays soccer for Peamount United, lined out at half-back for Leitrim. That victory propelled Dublin into the quarter-finals where they dispatched old rivals Cork by 17 points. They restricted their opponents to just four points from play while Tyrrell and Sullivan combined for 2-8, including a penalty from Tyrrell. Meath players celebrate after winning the 2021 All-Ireland final. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Related Reads Two-time Kerry All-Ireland winner Tommy Walsh retires from Gaelic Football 'We all have our roles' - Donegal's long-serving point-scoring machines remain pivotal How will Tyrone and Meath reflect on their 2025 seasons? 4. Meath Seek Return To Glory Three years on from achieving back-to-back All-Ireland triumphs, Meath are back in the final four of the competition. Since then, they have bowed out at the quarter-final stage in 2023 and 2024. Kerry were their tormentors on both occasions, defeating the Royals by four points and eight points in respective meetings. They also collided in the 2022 All-Ireland final when Meath were the nine-point victors. Now they will prepare for a fourth consecutive championship meeting. Meath's rise in Ladies Football was a fascinating watch as they became All-Ireland intermediate champions in 2020 after back-to-back final defeats. The following season, they were at the summit of senior Ladies football, denying Dublin a five-in-a-row in the process. In the wake of Meath's 2022 success, which also included a Division 1 crown, their highly respected manager Eamonn Murray announced that he was stepping down. Another blow followed as Paul Garrigan and Eugene Eivers also left the backroom team to join the Meath men's set-up which was under Colm O'Rourke's watch at the time. Additionally, key players Vikki Wall and Orlagh Lally had signed deals with the AFLW at a time when the window for playing both spots was rapidly closing. But Wall appears to be still managing that delicate balance. She won a Grand Final with North Melbourne last November and continues to serve Meath with her usual attacking strength. Along with fellow star forward Emma Duggan, the pair will need to catch fire if the Royals are to dethrone the Kingdom later today. **** TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-finals - Saturday 19 July Kerry v Meath; Glenisk O'Connor Park, Tullamore [Throw-in, 5.15pm TG4] Dublin v Galway; Glenisk O'Connor Park, Tullamore [Throw-in, 7.30pm TG4] ****
The 42
29-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Lions move swiftly onto Brisbane for a meeting with Kiss' Reds
AFTER HAVING A few relatively settled weeks of preparation, the Lions are now heading into the thick of their tour of Australia, with a run of four games in 11 days to come. Having a week in Perth ahead of yesterday's 54-7 hammering of the Force was helpful, allowing players and coaches to get the long-haul travel out of their system early. On Sunday morning, they packed up in Perth and headed for the four-and-a-half hour flight across Australia to Brisbane, where they meet Les Kiss' Queensland Reds on Wednesday [KO 11am Irish time]. After that, they'll move down to Sydney for a Saturday clash with the Waratahs, then onto Canberra for the Brumbies game on Wednesday week before a trip to Adelaide to meet the AUNZ Invitational XV a week out from the first Test against the Wallabies, which is back in Brisbane. So plenty is happening in the next two weeks. Andy Farrell and his men are heading into the manic period of the tour where the Lions have to juggle travel, training loads, injuries, niggles, selection, and opposition analysis. It's going to be hectic. Farrell loves this stuff. He won't be complaining. The Force got stuck in for the first half yesterday but they're the weakest of the Australian Super Rugby sides. If the Lions had been able to manage the restarts, the scoreline probably would have been a lot uglier. The Reds will hope to provide a sterner test on Wednesday. They won eight of their 14 Super Rugby games before losing in the quarter-finals to the Crusaders, who were the eventual champions. Advertisement Reds boss Les Kiss. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Unfortunately for Kiss, he will be missing many of his best players because they're in Wallabies camp with his old friend Joe Schmidt preparing for a warm-up game against Fiji on Sunday. The Wallabies boss has released expolosive centre Hunter Paisami and hooker Matt Faessler for the Reds' clash with the Lions, but the exceptional Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Tate McDermott, Tom Lynagh, Filipo Daugunu, and Zane Nonggorr are due to remain with Schmidt's group. Back row Liam Wright is among the Reds players who have been on the injury list, yet Kiss – who will also head coach the AUNZ Invitational XV – still has some quality to work with. Second row Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is an experienced Wallaby who missed out on selection in Schmidt's squad, while clever outside back Josh Flook, fullback Jock Campbell, hooker Josh Nasser, blindside Seru Uru, and locks Josh Canham and Angus Blyth have all capped by Australia. Samoa prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, previously capped once by New Zealand, is a familiar face having spent the 2022/23 season with Ulster, earning plenty of fans with his all-action play and affable personality. The Reds front row stocks have also been boosted by the arrival of All Blacks-capped loosehead Aidan Ross, who just joined after the Chiefs' Super Rugby campaign ended in defeat in the final. Kiss is the most familiar face of all for the Irish tourists in the Lions squad, even if he left Irish rugby in 2018 when his time with Ulster ended. The former rugby league international had a huge impact as Ireland's defence coach, first under Declan Kidney and then under Schmidt. Kiss pioneered the choke tackle and helped Ireland to their 2013 Grand Slam. Former Ulster man Jeffery Toomaga-Allen. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo He enjoyed working with Kidney again in London Irish for five years after his departure from Ulster, before the English club's demise saw him move home. Things have worked out very well for Kiss back in Australia, with his calm guidance of the Reds since 2024 earning him the job of Wallabies boss once Schmidt departs in 2026. It's a slightly awkward-looking arrangement that probably puts Kiss under pressure to make sure the Reds have a good Super Rugby season next year before he takes on the top job. Wednesday's clash with the Lions at Suncorp Stadium is a great opportunity for Kiss and his players to make a statement. Once again, we're likely to see a much-changed Lions team as Farrell continues to assess his options. There are only four more warm-up games left as the first Test comes quickly into view.
The 42
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Bulls bid to test Leinster's composure in exciting URC final
LEINSTER MAY HAVE been the best team in the URC regular season in three of the last four years, finishing top of the table by a distance, but they have no silverware to show for it. Such is the reality of top-level rugby nowadays. Football still has genuine league competitions where the best side over the course of the season gets the trophy, but rugby has veered away from that kind of reward for sustained performances. Earning silverware requires composure and class in knock-out rugby, something that has evaded Leinster in the United Rugby Championship since the four big South African sides joined in 2021. Indeed, today's clash with the Bulls at Croke Park [KO 5pm, TG4/Premier Sports] is Leinster's first-ever URC final. The Bulls have been here before, twice. They too have yet to lift the URC trophy, so there is a similarity between these sides. Both have been consistently good in recent years, leading the way for their nations, but haven't been able to get over the line. Jake White's men finished second in the URC regular-season table, so this final truly is a meeting of the two best teams in the championship. It's a riveting match-up of strengths and while Leinster are deserved favourites, there should be fireworks at GAA headquarters. Their history makes it all the more fascinating. They have met in the URC five times. The Bulls have won four times. Twice, those victories were in the semi-finals. The Bulls rocked up to the RDS back in 2022 and shocked the Irish province. Even springing Johnny Sexton from the bench couldn't save Leinster. Then last year, Leinster travelled to Pretoria and were squeezed out by White's powerful team. The Bulls have beaten them in two other regular-season games at Loftus Versfeld, so Leinster will be glad this one is on home soil. It's a big advantage for Leo Cullen's men, who looked in determined, focused form as they swept past defending champions Glasgow in last weekend's semi-final. The vicious physical edge to Leinster's performance will have settled some of their fans' nerves. Advertisement Bulls lock Cobus Wiese is a powerful presence. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO But there will still be jitters among some of the 40,000 or so who make their way to Croke Park this evening. The longer Leinster's wait for a trophy has gone on since they lifted the Pro14 back in 2021, the worse the anxiety has grown. Captain Jack Conan – who continues to lead the side in Caelan Doris' absence – and his lieutenants will need to show lots of composure against a Bulls challenge that should be ferocious. The South African pack has been excellent this season, particularly at the scrum where the gigantic tighthead Wilco Louw and clever loosehead Jan-Hendrik Wessels have shone. That could be the key battleground today, as Leinster back 25-year-old tighthead Thomas Clarkson to deliver another strong showing with Tadhg Furlong still sidelined. The lineout and maul will be hard-fought, while the Bulls will look to test Leinster in a physical manner that teams like Glasgow can't. The fact that there may be rain in Dublin today could add to the attritional nature of this contest. Referee Andrea Piardi will need to be on his game. With the physicality in mind, it must be a great pleasure for Cullen and Jacques Nienaber to welcome back openside flanker Josh van der Flier and outside centre Garry Ringrose from injury. Robbie Henshaw is still injured so couldn't have returned, but Jordie Barrett would surely have started at number 12 anyway. Leinster will look to the Kiwi star to bid farewell to his short-term stint in Ireland with a big performance, while they'll expect Springboks lock RG Snyman to provide major impact off the bench. The Bulls are missing a key man in number eight Cameron Hanekom, who has been relentless this season, but they're hardly short of dynamism. Marco van Staden comes in to bring even more breakdown danger for Leinster, while the likes of Marcell Coetzee and Cobus Wiese will look to give them momentum in the carry. Leinster have their own weapons in that sense, with the likes of Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, and wing Tommy O'Brien bringing major physicality last time out against Glasgow. Both sides love to kick the ball, topping the URC charts in that regard, so the tactical touches from the likes of Leinster out-half Sam Prendergast and the Bulls' influential fullback Willie le Roux should be key in deciding how this game flows. And the aerial contests will be exactly that – a fight for the ball every single time. Prendergast will also be looking to nail a goal kick as early as possible after a wayward afternoon against Glasgow last time out. Sam Prendergast is key to Leinster's kicking game. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO The Bulls will hope to bring Leinster into a tense endgame, their intention being to test how Cullen's men handle the kind of severe pressure that makes knock-out rugby so fiendishly difficult. Leinster will look for a trademark fast start. Cullen believes that his team ending their wait for silverware could lead to many more trophies in the years ahead, but all that matters today is becoming URC champions. If Leinster play to the level they're truly capable of, with Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the strings, James Lowe making magic happen, and the piano shifters up front bringing the heat, they should have enough to win this intriguing finale. That would be a glorious thing for players and supporters alike to celebrate. LEINSTER: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (captain). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Jamie Osborne. BULLS: Willie le Roux; Canan Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (captain), Marcell Coetzee. Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Alulutho Tshakweni, Mornay Smith, Jannes Kirsten, Nizaam Carr, Zak Burger, Keagan Johannes, Devon Williams Referee: Andrea Piardi [Italy].
The 42
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
White feels 'stars are aligned' as Bulls look to inflict more URC pain on Leinster
THE SUN BROKE through just as the Bulls team bus pulled into St Mary's RFC in Templeogue yesterday morning. It was a low-key outing for a team hoping to inflict further devastation on Leinster in Saturday's URC Grand Final [KO 5pm]. A gym session was followed by some pitch work in front of an empty stand, bar one lucky young supporter who waited by the dressing room entrance with a ball and marker, every player stopping to fill the white spaces on his souvenir. Upstairs on a sunny patio, head coach Jake White shook hands and briefed the media on his team's travels from South Africa and their plans for the week, having touched down in Dublin on Monday evening – early enough for the Bulls boss to tune into RTÉ's 'Against the Head' from his hotel room. A relaxed start to the biggest week of the Bulls' season. Keagan Johannes and Harold Vorster sign autographs. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO This is a group who know all about finals rugby, having featured in two of the three previous URC deciders – losing to the Stormers in 2022 and Glasgow last year. Finally getting over the line this time around is not their only source of motivation. Last month, the organisation was rocked by the news that Cornal Hendricks had passed away at the age of 37. The former Springbok had wrapped up his playing career with the Bulls just last season. The South African side retired the number 14 jersey for the remainder of this campaign in his honour. That number, 14, also struck White as he did his research ahead of this weekend's trip to Croke Park. 'He died on the 14th of May, and Saturday we play on the 14th of June,' White said. It's quite an ominous number. Funny enough, I was doing a bit of homework and I read that Bloody Sunday, 14 people died at Croke Park. It's quite amazing that the number 14 comes up. 'A lot of these boys probably haven't understood what the significance of Croke Park means in history and to be fair, if I am being really honest, I told them not to comment or to be sucked in to anything that would lead anyone to read it the wrong way. 'Everyone has a feeling about it and for us the fact that it is the 14th of the month, that when I read it was 14 people I thought, jeez, it was quite spooky, you know? He dies on the 14th of May. I think his son was born on the 14th of December. Advertisement Bulls head coach Jake White. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO 'There is a lot of relevance, the number 14 not being used this weekend. Sometimes you need that. You guys are from Ireland and look what Munster did in the time that they lost their coach (Anthony Foley) and how quickly the reason why just turned the way Munster became for that year. 'Stars are aligned. Hopefully we will use that in our favour.' The Bulls are embracing the underdog tag but come to Dublin with history on their side, having knocked Leinster out of the semi-finals twice (2022 and 2024). The fixture has grown into a tasty rivalry, and yesterday, White spoke glowingly about the province. I will tell you something, there is no doubt Leinster are the benchmark of what I do and how I prepare, and the benchmark of what's happened at the club. 'We have had three Springbok coaches coach the Bulls: myself, John Williams and Heyneke Meyer. I would hate to know, and I haven't looked for any other reason, but I wonder how many international coaches have coached Leinster. I'm sure it's a lot more than three. 'Leinster have proven over the years how they recruit, how they play. Look at a guy like Leo Cullen, he is a fantastic role model for what Leinster is all about. He has captained them, he has coached them. He epitomises Leinster. I can only praise them. A lot of teams are trying to emulate what they have done, how they've done it and how they have gone about their business because there's no doubt they are the bench make of where we want to get to.' And yet it's the Bulls who have been more prominent when it comes to this part of the season, with Cullen's men preparing to play in their first URC final. White might look at Leinster's resources with some envy, but he's forged a group who feel comfortable and confident when it comes to playing knockout rugby. Ticket sales for Saturday's final were pushing 30,000 after the first day of public sale, with URC organisers hoping to land around 40,000 come the weekend – upper tier tickets starting at €30 were released Tuesday afternoon. Most of those will be in Leinster blue, but the Bulls feel past experience can stand to them in an away final. 'This group of players have probably far exceeded expectations of anybody in the last four years,' White continued. The Bulls held a gym session at St Mary's. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO 'I'm not for one minute saying we're not aware of the fact that we've had three finals, but we're aware of the fact that we've exceeded everything that anyone has expected, and we've batted above our weight for a long time. Hopefully this game will be the one where we will learn from the two other opportunities we had to win a competition like this.' 'It would be massive for us (to win on Saturday),' he added. 'I've read about the top 15 clubs and the budgets they have and we weren't mentioned in that top 15. Leinster, Toulouse, those sort of clubs would be considered the top clubs in the world. 'It would be massive for us, for this club too because I think playing in three finals in four years shows that they're good enough. But I've been around enough to know there's not a service award, you don't just get to win trophies because you play in finals. 'A lot of people think that 'it's your third final', surely this is the one you win, but you could play in 10 finals and never win. I've coached in France, seen teams that played in finals… I mean, Racing Metro – how many European Cups have they won? None. There was a time Racing Metro were an incredible team and they still couldn't get over the line. 'It made me realise that there's no right to win these games, sometimes you can play many, many finals and not get over the line. So, to get over the line would be incredible for us. It would be a massive achievement, especially for this group because I still don't think they are where they need to be or where they could be.' Leinster might just feel the same way, and the pressure is certainly on the home side given their growing number of painful losses in knockout games. 'We're under pressure too,' White countered. 'People will say the Bulls have lost one (URC final) at home that people expected us to win, so it depends which side of the coin you look at. They're a quality team. I know you guys are harsh on them and I read in between the lines what the expectation is, but they're still a very, very well-coached team. They're still a team that's revered by the teams in the competition. 'I said it from day one, when I saw them get a good start (in the URC) and go five points, five points, five points… my message for the last four or five months was 'If you think you're good enough to beat Leinster away, then you've got to win all these games to get to the final', which we've now done. The question I've said to them this week is, 'you've said you're going to beat Leinster away, now let's see how good we are'. 'That's been coming for four months, because it was inevitable that they were going to get first place because no one was going to catch them. It's now D-day for us, to do what we said we were going to do.'
