Sergeal Petersen gave a timely reminder of his ability in his first start since January to help the Vodacom Bulls secure a place in the URC’s grand final.

Petersen scored two second-half tries – including the winner in the 67th minute – as the Vodacom Bulls stunned a star-studded Leinster in the semi-final clash at Loftus Versfeld.

The 29-year-old joined the Bulls after a stint in Japan, but made just seven starts before the semi-finals, with his previous start coming in January against the Lions.

Petersen was called off the bench in the first half of the quarter-final against Benetton, after Kurt-Lee Arendse went off with a fractured cheekbone, joining Canan Moodie on the sidelines.

“When I signed my contract at the Bulls, Canan and Kurt-Lee were the [number one] wings, and whenever the team calls on me or needs me, I’ll have to be ready,” Petersen said. “I’ve been doing a lot of work outside of the Bulls’ environment just to stay fit and mentally sharp.

“[The quarter-final] was my first game in 14 weeks. I got [51] minutes and I was blown.

“James Lowe is a world-class player and to play against someone like that, in a game like that, you’ve got to back yourself.

“I’m pretty confident in my ability and I’ll back myself against anyone, if I were to be so bold. It was a nice challenge for me to see where I am in terms of playing against players of that calibre.”

Touted as a prodigious talent when he scored a brace of tries on his professional debut with the Southern Kings, Petersen is into his 11th year in the top flight and his experience will be key when the Bulls host Glasgow Warriors in the final on Saturday.

Having tasted URC glory with the Stormers – ironically against the Bulls – in 2022, Petersen could become the first player to win the updated version of the tournament with two different teams.

“The job’s not done, we’ve got one more week. We’ve got a big one next week, hopefully we can get over that hurdle,” he said.

“You can’t change too much of what you’ve built on throughout the campaign. There’s a reason why we are where we are at the moment. But like I said basics are going to be important, so we must stick to the basics because you don’t need four tries to win, you just need one point.”

Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images

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