The number fourteen will hold significant meaning for both the Vodacom Bulls and Leinster ahead of Saturday’s, 6pm, United Rugby Championship Grand Final at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
Bloody Sunday
For hosts Leinster, playing the title decider and winning it would be the perfect way to pay homage to the death of 14 civilians killed at Croke Park on 21 November 1920 during the Irish War of Independence.
The day is remembered as Bloody Sunday, and Leinster’s decision to have the final played at the Croke Park venue, and not their usual big home, the Aviva Stadium, probably serves as a warning to their opponent.
But, Bulls boss, Jake White, says he has done his homework when asked about what motivates his team ahead of a third opportunity to try and call themselves URC Champions, after losing last year’s final 21-16 against Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld and 18-13 to the DHL Stormers in Cape Town in 2022.
White: Fallen Bull Could help Stars Align
For the Bulls the number 14 will also have huge importance this Saturday as the Bulls will again be wearing numbers with images of fallen Springbok and Bulls winger, Cornal Hendricks, on the back of their jerseys.
Hendricks passed away on 14 May after a heart attack and wore the number 14 for the Boks in the seven Tests that he played. And when he did not run out in the midfield for the Bulls, Hendricks also did a good job at right wing for the franchise before he left the Pretoria outfit at the end of last season.
At the time of his passing, Hendricks was contracted to the Boland Cavaliers, but of how the Bulls want to remember him by going out to beat Leinster at the historic Croke Park venue, White says:
There is a lot of relevance [to] 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.
Le Roux: We’re Playing For Cornal
Willie le Roux, who played with Hendricks for the Boks, Cheetahs as well as the Cavaliers, at the start of their professional careers, also said that playing for their old mate is what drives them ahead of Saturday’s big clash.
And the back-to-back World Cup winner says:
[Playing in] finals is fine margins. Whether it’s home, whether it’s away, uhm, these games come down to maybe one moment, one mistake you might make, one piece of brilliance someone else does. So, ja, they all say it’s Mission Impossible, uhm, but we’ll have to wait and see on Saturday.
Bulls Not Feeling Pressure
We are enjoying ourselves, we have been enjoying ourselves this season, playing for one another. It has gotten us to the finals and it is now about being the same thing we have been doing the whole year. I don’t think there is a need for putting any added pressure upon ourselves.
When we go out there, we are playing for our brothers, we are playing for our friend that we’ve lost (Hendricks) so we have one job to do and that’s what we’re focusing on.
Vodacom Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Ruan Nortje (captain), 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-hendrik Wessels. Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Jannes Kirsten, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Zak Burger, 22 Keagan Johannes, 23 Devon Williams.
