Willie le Roux says the Vodacom Bulls must have their ducks in a row to breach Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster defence when the teams clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls host the Irish giants in the first Vodacom URC semi-final in Pretoria, with the showdown tabled as the appetiser to the much-anticipated July series between the Springboks and Ireland in the Republic.
Nienaber joined Leo Cullen’s backroom staff at Leinster after masterminding a remarkable campaign in France last year where the Boks won all three knockout games by just a point to retain the title they won at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Renowned for his defensive work at the Boks, DHL Stormers and Munster, two-time World Cup winner Nienaber has wasted little time sharing his expertise with Leinster.
The six-time Pro12/14 champions blew the Bulls away earlier this season in Dublin with a 47-14 victory at the RDS Arena, and speaking on the Behind the Ruck podcast with former Boks Rudy Paige and Juan de Jongh, Le Roux highlighted the tactical nous of Nienaber.
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“We played against them at their homeground and they gave us a proper hiding,” the veteran fullback said. “We were in that game for the first half and then they just blew us off our feet.
“There was a lot to learn from that game; we have Loftus now, hopefully Loftus helps out. It’s going to be like a Test match, playing against an unbelievable club side that’s been on top form for the last three, four seasons.
“So for us as a young Bulls side coming through it’s going to be a great challenge and looking forward to it.”
“You know Jacques, he analyses everyone and he knows everyone in our team, he’s an unbelievable coach and knows the ins and outs of your game. He’ll definitely give him all the [insight] on the guys here,” Le Roux added.
“And we know that blitz defence is coming from Jacques and I’ve played with that defence so we know how tough it is to attack that blitz. We’ll have to get our ducks in a row this weekend and analyse where we can attack.”
Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The post Bulls braced for Nienaber’s blitz appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
