MARK KEOHANE praises Rassie Erasmus and Jake White for doing a great job ramping up the intensity and enthusiasm for the 2024 Test season and the sport in the Republic.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane draws parallels between the energy of this week and the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup playoffs, emphasising the excitement surrounding South African rugby.
He highlights Erasmus, who outlined his plans for the Springboks’ season. Simultaneously, White was preparing the Vodacom Bulls to face a formidable Leinster team in a Vodacom URC semi-final at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The Bulls edged the Irish outfit and will host a URC final for the first time when they take on Glasgow Warriors at Loftus next week, after the world champion Boks tackle Wales at Twickenham.
Keohane notes the rich rugby intellect in Pretoria this week, including Jacques Nienaber, now with Leinster, creating a unique atmosphere with the core of Ireland’s Test team nearby. He underscores the insights the Bok coaching staff would gain from observing the match.
KEO: Belligerent, brave & beautiful Bulls host URC final
“This week felt just like the build-up week to the 2023 Rugby World Cup playoffs. It was glorious,” he writes.
“We had South Africa’s most popular coach Rassie Erasmus holding court in Pretoria, outlining his narrative for the Springboks Test season and around the corner you had another Springbok winning World Cup coach Jake White seeking another piece of Bulls history.
“Not far from that there was the presence of the most potent Leinster team in the history of Irish rugby – and one that featured 21 internationals in their match 23 for the United Rugby Championship semi-final against the Bulls at Loftus.
“The interest in Saturday’s URC semi-final from within the Bok coaching staff would have been immense. There would be learnings on players, even if they were wearing blue and not green.”
Keohane also mentions the impact of French-based Siya Kolisi and the Super Rugby semi-finals, predicting many new faces for the All Blacks and Wallabies this season.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
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