THIS FRIDAY SEES Leinster take on the Bulls at the RDS in their United Rugby Championship semi-final, and for Leo Cullen, it provides an opportunity to catch up with a familiar face.

Bulls head coach Jake White doesn’t always come across as the warmest of characters, but the man who led the Springboks to World Cup success in 2007 was on hand to offer Cullen some words of wisdom when the Leinster coach was at the start of his own coaching journey.

“Jake is a wily old coach. Been around the block,” Cullen says.

“I was coming to the end of my first year in coaching and he gave me a fair bit of advice. I went away to a Six Nations coaching conference, it would have been 2016. He was very, very helpful to me in terms of someone with bits of advice and understanding his philosophy on the game as well.

“We’ve come up against each other with Montpellier in Europe (2016/17) as well. He’s plenty of experience of being here in the RDS so he will know what’s involved. I’m sure he’ll have a few tricks up his sleeve.”

White’s advice to Cullen centered around how to approach big games, something the Leinster boss has since become well used to in the years since that difficult first season in charge, the province losing five of their six pool games in Europe.

“Just in terms of his vision he laid out leading into that (2007) World Cup period, over that extended period before that and the belief he instilled, some of his philosophies about the game, how he approached the start of the game etc.

“It’s pretty vast in terms of what he was discussing. But he’s been good for the Bulls in terms of the experience he’s brought, the continuity, stability around selection etc, etc some good younger coaches there as well.

“He’s doing it for the right reasons as well because he loves the involvement, I don’t think he’s doing it because he needs to, but because he loves the game. It’s great to still have those experienced characters who are coaching in our league as well, because they bring a huge amount to it.”

Having bulldozed Glasgow on Saturday, Leinster can surely expect a sterner challenge from the Bulls, who scraped past the Sharks in their quarter-final thanks to a last-gasp Chris Smith drop-goal. 

Leinster crushed the Bulls 31-3 at the Aviva Stadium on the opening day of the season but the Pretoria-based side have long since found their feet – finishing fourth in the final URC table and winning 11 of their 18 regular season games.

“Most South African teams will test you in the set piece, scrum and maul in particular,” Cullen continued.

The backrow, they have (Marcell) Coetzee, he was such a stand out player for Ulster, as we all know. Look back at all his games, he’s coming out with man of the match awards and big moments in games, he score tries close in. Physically very, very strong both sides of the ball so he’s one who is a very, very influential presence on their team.

“The half-backs are good, a strong kicking game and they’ve a strong back three in terms of their kick, chase, aerially and from breaking ball as well, the speed and pace that they have.

“Mostert (Juan) in midfield [who missed the Sharks game] very, very strong a direct player, probably one of the key guys similar to (Marcel) Coetzee for them. Depends who they pick (Elrigh) Louw or (Arno) Botha, they have other backrowers who are very, very powerful. They are sort of a complete team.”

The semi-final draw also pits the best of Ireland against the pick of the South African sides, with Ulster away to the Stormers in the other semi-final on Saturday.

“It’s a very new flavour to it, isn’t it, which is what the competition needed. It’s the proper jolt that the competition needed.

“I just go back to when I was a kid watching Gary Teichmann play for the Sharks, Ollie Le Roux there, a former Leinster great was there as well and some of the former greats that they had for years and years. Even when we played in Durban, it’s such an iconic venue.

“The Bulls had a very successful period in Super Rugby where they were the dominant force, you think of some of the titles that they won by literally steamrolling teams.

“That’s hugely exciting for us, though the Lions are probably the team more recently and Stormers are such a massive franchise.

“And it’s trying to enjoy the journey for another week, isn’t it? You have the bit of disappointment as the season goes on, as we know, you lose a big game and it’s nice to have this challenge to turn our attention to.” 

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