The Vodacom Bulls limped back to Pretoria following their mauling at the hands of Leinster in Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship final, trying to contemplate the one question that has plagued the teams from the other four countries that make up the league - how do you beat the Irish juggernaut?
For while there's still disappointment that the Bulls, after talking themselves up all week, didn’t go down with a bang, but rather a whimper, the reality is that they are three finals down in four years, having come up short in all of them.
To be fair, this was going to be the toughest of them all. Leinster are a virtual test team and have 12 British and Irish Lions in their squad as well as a double World Cup winner in RG Snyman and All Black maestro Jordie Barrett.
To beat them was never going to be an easy task, especially given their own hunger to finally win a trophy, and playing them in their backyard in front of a vociferous crowd.
HORROR SHOW
But what the Bulls would not have counted on was how poor they looked in the opening 40 minutes, and how much of a horror show it was.
That wasn’t entirely unexpected whenever Leinster played anyone in the URC. While we concentrate more on the fortunes of the South African franchises, there are plenty of teams around the competition that can tell you of similar maulings.
Franco Smith, who won the competition in an epic final at Loftus Versfeld last season, said it on Friday in a pre-game chat. Leinster have that ability to flood the zone early, get a try, and then if they get a second, they play on the edge. They stop you with their defence from going through them and then give you space out wide. But if you aren’t accurate, they isolate you there and keep you turning around.
It was more than 24 hours before kick-off, but Smith’s squad were soundly beaten by Leinster three times this season - including a 52-0 whitewash in the Champions’ Cup that still leaves scars.
SETPIECE PLATFORM NEVER THERE
His assessment played out almost to the letter when the Bulls got onto the field. They never had the setpiece platform they had all season, although what referee Andrea Piardi saw in those first few scrums is anyone’s guess. Leinster got away with it, and the Bulls were firmly on the back foot and never recovered.
Their lineout has been dodgy all season and was targeted. The breakdown was a mess with hands in every ruck. But above it all, Leinster’s defence shone through. Jacque Nienaber’s masterclass paid off even when the Bulls got into positions they would normally score from.
So why did the Bulls look so tame? Was it simply that Leinster dominated every facet and didn’t allow them to fire some shots? Or was it being overawed by the occasion?
The truth is probably somewhere in between for the Bulls, as they were hit early by the juggernaut and never recovered. Their senior players, who were meant to craft their reply, were cut off in space and harassed with the ball. Pressure has a funny way of making world beaters look ordinary. Leinster excelled not only in getting a good start, but then pressuring the Bulls so that they had virtually no space.
WHITE’S CHALLENGE ANSWERED
White had challenged his side earlier in the season, saying if they wanted to win the URC, they needed to beat Leinster in Dublin. The team said they were good enough and embraced the challenge.
On Saturday, that reality came back to bite.
But for all the disappointment in the one-sided nature of the final, there are other truths out there. Leinster have finished top of the log three years out of four in the URC. At one point, they were 20 points ahead of the chasing pack, and they have the luxury of putting out a second-string outfit that can beat the big sides away from home (just ask the Sharks!).
They are a step above the rest of the competition and deserved every moment of their glorious victory on Saturday.
To lose in a final is disappointing, and White’s critics will be pointing out that this is his third such loss. But what they don’t say is that his side still made a third final. There are 14 other coaches who never came close.
White may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and the disappointment of losing a final is very real in the 48 hours afterwards. But the reality is that Leinster’s structures, their support they get from the Irish Rugby Union, and player budget are vastly different from the Bulls.
LEINSTER’S STRUCTURES ABOVE THE REST
That doesn’t excuse the performance on Saturday, it just puts it into perspective.
The Bulls will get better, and there is definitely some self-reflection that is necessary. There is a conversation about the team and tactics that is needed, and what is necessary to get over the line.
But that will come in the next few weeks. The Bulls don’t have the luxury of contracting a Jordie Barrett, or Rieko Ioane - as Leinster have done for next season.
They - like the other SA teams - are at a disadvantage with a never-ending season that sees their Boks only return in December. While adjustments have been made, their limited player budget (as compared to Europe’s big guns) keeps them at a disadvantage.
BULLS' SEASON WAS STILL A SUCCESS
The Bulls made great strides this year with first wins in Glasgow and Limerick, as well as Galway being ticked off a list of places that were previously losses in the season planning. Their home form suffered, and their injury list was never great.
They ground their way to a final, which is the first goal for any team in the URC.
The lingering disappointment of their performance in Dublin will stay with them, as will the fact that they have now lost three finals in four years.
But Saturday’s loss should not be seen as a failure in the season. They are still the best South African side and deserved to be in the final.
The big question now is how to get over the line. White has struggled with that for three finals now, and questions must be asked about what is needed to change that narrative.
But as Monday dawns and the international season looms, the Bulls will have to live with a missed chance, and their disappointment in their performance in Dublin, even though it was always going to be against the odds.