“IF LEINSTER LOSE to the Bulls, it’s a big, big failure on their part,” Bernard Jackman told Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella on Monday’s subscriber exclusive Rugby Weekly podcast.
“The Bulls aren’t all that,” Jackman said. “Munster have gone down there and beat them. Benetton made them look very average, there’s too many flaws in their performance. I haven’t been overly impressed by them.
“Look it, Leinster have to build it up as being an incredible expedition to get to Pretoria and the challenge of getting back, but I think there’s no excuse here. You have the best team in the URC on paper, you have the most internationals and you’ve been able to rest them during the year as best you can, so there’s no distractions.”
Wary that Leinster have failed to get over the line in recent Champions Cup finals, The42’s Murray Kinsella was keen to note that Leinster must stay humble if they are to book their place in a URC final, which could potentially be a Thomond Park clash against Munster.
“I think you have to treat it with the utmost respect and have an element of edginess. They’re going to altitude and that’s a challenge, as well as the atmosphere that there is going to be there,” he said.
“There’s some big units in that Bulls team too, the physicality of their carrying . . . they’re very good at doubling down but they do give you opportunities.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for Leinster to win on the road. What are they, four point favourites? That feels about right to me, but it’s certainly no gimme. It will take an improved performance.”
Rugby Weekly host Gavan Casey also believes that the home crowd advantage that the Bulls will have could aid their chances of pulling off an upset.
“It’s going to be a different sort of atmosphere than at a regular URC game. Now that’s nothing that Leinster’s players won’t be used to but that combination of things, it will feel hostile. The fact that they’ve such a long trip down there, the fact that the Bulls are going to be up for it, the fans are going to be up for it, maybe they’re sort of levelling factors.”
Jackman said: “It’s obviously a contest, I accept that the travel and the home crowd make it harder for Leinster but I think they will win by more than four points . . . I think Leinster will do a job on them. Leinster unfortunately have cracked under similar circumstances so there’s a doubt there but I don’t think the Bulls are as good as Toulouse or La Rochelle potentially could be. Leinster should be able to win this one.”
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Jackman is as good a pundit as he was a coach….
@Barry Lynch: after years of getting nothing but nauseous praise from Irish rugby media its funny to see leinster fans turn on the likes of jackman & ruaidhri oconnor when they dare to air the slightest bit of criticism!
@Barry Lynch: he’s not wrong though, is he?
@Barry Lynch: in fairness it has been weird to hear Cullen make excuses and pretend they’d not made contingency plans for this.
@munsterman: One guy turns and you don’t even know if he is a Leinster fan. As someone who used to find Jackman nauseating, particularly after his book, I have come full circle. He is an intelligent and honest contributor. He says what he thinks (right or wrong) – unlike some who say what they think everyone wants to hear (ala BOD) or try to come up with outlandish and badly thought through opinions (ala Fitzgerald) or just agrees with everyone (ala Quinlan)
@Barry Lynch: No one’s getting paid like Jackman, he deserves it… Bit of the ‘Hook’ in him methinks
@Kevin Dillon: he is. Calling a loss in South Africa a failure is ridiculous hyperbole that should be beyond a pundit. Fine for us to engage in that shit but he’s paid to give a more nuanced take
@Gary D: It would be a failure, so what’s wrong with saying that?
@Con Cussed: It would be a loss, that can easily happen playing against a good team in SA. As usual, hyperbole and hot takes are the name of the game instead of any kind of balanced discussion.
@munsterman: the years of nauseous praise was that for winning competitions, supplying the vast majority of the Irish team and providing the other 3 sides with players? A bit like winning one competition in 13 years and going on about it like England did in 1966.
@Kevin Dillon: no he’s not. Leinster are falling off a cliff unless something drastic happens it’s not going to get any better. 7 losses so far this season and we have the best defence coach in the world?
Hope Jackman tells Andy to select younger players for the South Africa series. Rassie has included 11 uncapped players to build towards the 2027 world cup. Ireland can bring 11 uncapped players but suspect Andy will keep selecting the same team thats been playing since the 2021/2022 season. It will be a great opportunity to leave POM, Healy, Murray, and Conan they don’t really offer much compared to the younger athletic guys. Seeing how the Leinster bench couldn’t seal the deal in the campions cup and POM and Murray the grand slam. I would also leave Beirne and Doris because they’ve been working non-stop for club and country and deserve a big rest. The team to bring to South Africa: Crowley, Foley, Prendergast, Coombes, Hodnett, Ahern, Casey. Cormac I, McCann, Barron, Timoney, Doak, T. Stewart, Tommy and Jimmy O’Brien, Frawley, Andrew Porter and Furlong to help young guys like Mline, S.Wilson and O’Toole navigate the scrum. It doesn’t matter the outcome of these games. The important thing is to get the young players up to speed on test match readiness for 2027. This is all wishful thinking though because we know we’ll be seeing 36 and 35 year olds at the 2027 world cup, while South Africa and England will have all the young players capped with enough experience to beat the older guys on the Ireland team.
@Linda: agree on Healey, POM & Murray being left out but I think you need to bring the rest of your big guns so you don’t get blown away by SA . If the IRFU had gotten their act together they could have arranged some mid week games and brought a larger squad (like they did in NZ in 2022).
We want to be at the very least competitive with SA and preferably win. A largely young side could get blitzed quite badly over there
@Linda: Coombes is miles from being good enough for international level, and I couldn’t think of a player less suited to how Ireland play.
Timoney, Doris and Conan is a fantastic trio of 8s.
@Owen ODonoghue: I understand your point, but in the end, losing these games, even badly, is worth the risk of developing these young players for 2027. Whats to gain from sending a full team and losing by a few points to a mixed A/B South African team? SA picked a squad with 11 new caps, why can’t we do something similar? Ireland U-20 are unbeaten in the six nations for three years in a row. Even England are picking young players. If not now for the youngsters, when? They need a baptism of fire. And who knows, they might even win!
@Andrew Hurley: Jack Conan? Really? Coombes is miles ahead of Conan on all the stats for the last 2 years in the URC.. Conan started against Ulster a few weeks back and was totally dominated, as usual! He made no impact off the bench against Toulouse and somehow, despite his stats and performance being so low, he still gets picked on the bench for Ireland. Ridiculous! How exactly does Coombes not fit Ireland? He is near the top of URC stats for turnovers, tries and carries, and can also play 5,6 and 7. Conan is the most overrated player currently in Irish rugby,
@Linda: it can kill a players confidence if they get consecutive hidings at international level, i remember England in the summer of 2006 got pumped down there with a developmental squad and alot of guys never kicked on. You can bring a few bolters for sure but you need your first XV if possible and take some risks on the bench
@Owen ODonoghue: I also recall a callow English team getting hammered out the door on a tour to Australia, and the bulk of those players ended up winning the 2003 world cup. I see you point, and your approach is definitely more possible. Nonetheless, i suspect the starting team will look much like the team that started the WC QF. If we lose to a mixed SA A/B team with our full team out, we will look ridiculous and will have learned nothing.
@Linda: Coombes unlikely to feature for Ireland in the near future.
@Linda: You might look at your “stats” there and it’ll dawn on you that Coombes has played at least 11 more URC games than Jack Conan so of course they’re going to be skewed! Coombes is a decent player but not deemed good enough for Ireland so wasn’t involved at the world cup or the 6N. Munster also dumped on their arse early out of Europe so no rested urc games for Coombes. To use urc stats to try propagate your argument that “Coombes is better than Conan” is misleading and plain wrong.
@Carmine Lorenzo: So on what basis then is Conan better? Some random feeling, or performances from five years ago? Conan has not performed consistently this season on any stage, URC or otherwise. He is not even in the top 100 players statistically for the URC. Conan was part of a three in a row defeated Leinster team in Euro finals where Conan came off the bench and made no impact in any of these games. How is his selection justified over players like Timoney and Coombes, who not only have better stats, but consistently outperform Conan head -to-head despite playing for supposedly “weaker” teams? Just a couple of weeks ago Stephen Ferris called Conan out in the Ulster game, he was dominated by Timoney and Big Stu. The obsession with players like Conan living off meagre past glories is the reason for Ireland’s consistent failures on the biggest stage. There is no jeopardy for players like Conan, Murray, Healy etc.
@Linda: you are 100% right I think we should blood more young lads during 6N but that’s not permitted.
Would be great to see the net flung wider and some other lads on fringes examined under pressure. Like you said – they might even win. Hodnett, Ccombes , McCann to name a few might relish it.
Won’t happen though unfortunately- we’ll stick to our failed thought process and wonder why it all goes wrong come WC 1/4 final time
@Linda: SA has a training squad, with no players still playing in Europe, no players still in the URC knockouts including the bulls. That will change dramatically when it comes to playing ireland.
Enormous task for the bulls. we saw in the rds they could only keep up with Leinster for 45min until L went up a gear. Sure altitude plays a part and first time for most of the L frontrunners running out at loftus in the URC to 50+thousand , but hard to see anything other than a L win . Both of the bulls star wingers out make it even more difficult. Marco VS back however brings much needed leadership . Bulls should compete up front but defense has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese. Bulls are improving year on year so would hope they will be at the level expected In a couple of years.Think a stretch too far for the bulls this time around at least..let’s hope 50 thousand wild rabid brandy fuelled fans really give that Leinster side a real good south African rugby welcome .ha.
@Stuart: Leinster won by 33 points that day against what was very much a full strength Bulls team that played pretty much Leinsters B team with a few A team players in it. Porter, Ryan, Doris, Gibson-Park, Keenan, Ringrose, Osborne, Connors, R Byrne were all rested for that game so they should all be available to play this weekend except Keenan.
@Harry O’ Callaghan: When does anyone play Leinsters A team in the URC. Could say the same for the Ulster team, Leinster just beat, missing Kitschoff, M.Moore, Henderson, O’Connor, Hume, Balacoune, 2 players having to play out of postion, Izzy off in 17 mins, an acamady lock and player whos never started lock played as the locks most of the game. So really half Ulster A, and some Ulster B and a few C/D.
@Kingshu: OK, then say that about Ulster. Not sure what point you think you’re making here, this season has been a shitshow for Leinster with managed minutes in the URC. Heaps of their best players have played 5 or 6 games total in the league
@Harry O’ Callaghan: connors is not good enough to play for leinsters first team. Doris, baird, jvdf and conan are all better. Penny and deagan are far better attacking players too. Oh yeah I know connors is a chop tackling legend la la la but it’s not American football we actually have to attack too.
2 very tight semi-finals coming up. Home advantage to swing both. Munster v Bulls final.
@Ray Ridge: Leinster Glasgow far more likely
Munster v Leinster. What we wagering?
@Dave Moran: Munster fans scared to get Leinster for sure .
I’d like to see jackman coaching in Ireland in some capacity tbh….
Providing he is willing to ofcourse…
@Tom: just in that I know Willie Faloon went into the under 20s role…
I would have liked if Jackman went in just for the Irish system but then again he has clearly coached at senior level in France but it’s just his vernacular when you see him in interviews that you seem like he could contribute massively to Irish rugby …..
But obviously it’s all financial for any person….
So I’m sure he’s making the correct decision for himself …
@Tom: He’s been coaching Bective for a number of years now, stepping down at the end of the season.
I hope to see a younger Irish squad go to South Africa we have seen the same players for years now,try out the youth we are becoming stale and predictable as a team . Sides like England, New Zealand have sussed the way we play and this South African Leinster blitz defence is killing their natural rhythm of play. I hope Andy tries something different but I can’t see it
@Phillip Keohane: youth like Nash, Mccarthy, crowley, casey, Jimmy obrien?
Bernard Jackman, the omnipresent barstool bore..
@Andrew Hurley: christ I completely disagree on this!!!!
He has a serious knowledge of the game and always delivers his messages with clarity…..
Hence why he does a lot of public speaking at events ….
@Tom: Bernard?
Not a lot really said here by three pundits. I don’t agree with Jackman most of the time, but at least he gives his actual opinion to start a discussion. It’s a pity the others don’t do the same.
There may be 11 uncapped players in the SA squad but remember we play Wales first up and that test falls outside the international window. The selections are because of necessity. Things will change when Ireland arrives, barring of course for the injured players that may need to be replaced.
Ulrich South Africa will be running through walls to beat Ireland we all know that, their best side will be put out pitches will be doctored to suit the way they play just good honest test rugby. My only hope is we stop trying to play like South Africa it’s not in our game and get back to fast ball and multi faze ball in the forwards and backs . Come on Ireland I can’t wait
They’ll need their best performance of the season to win. We’ll see a 6/2 split with Connor’s and Conan back in the fold too
@Owen ODonoghue: Agree in principle as the Bulls have a strong set of forwards. Some of the Bulls wingers are missing, that could be another reason to have a 5:3 split as with altitude the backs will be running hard. I suppose in the end it’s a tough call either way.
@Con Cussed: i’d personally go for same 23 that played versus Ulster but give SP the start at 10. He thrives against SA teams and won’t shirk the physical stuff
@Owen ODonoghue: weren’t his first few starts against SA teams and they lost? He’s only started about 7 games so it’s not hard to check.
@Ciaran Kennedy: his QF v SA U-20s and his game against the Lions in 2023 stand out as big performances when behind a weaker pack . He definitely lost a few too when Leinster sent their C team down there
Jackman is getting more and more difficult to listen to. A few weeks ago he was arguing that Connacht having to rest Bealham and Aki is a negative because they aren’t battle hardened as a result. This week he argues that Leinster have no excuse because they got to rest players a lot all season. Make up your mind lad