Handré Pollard believes the pure character of a Vodacom Bulls team that has been against the ropes several times this season and fought their way back will be their greatest asset as they chase a first Vodacom United Rugby Championship title in Dublin on Friday, 19 June.
“We’ve come out of so many holes as a group this season, and then even though we were down 21-3 in the semifinal against the Glasgow Warriors, we looked at each other in the eye and said we can turn this around. That’s a great character to have in a squad. When it’s going too well you don’t necessarily always get the opportunity to build that character. If we need it again in the final, then we’ve been there before and we trust ourselves to get ourselves out of it again. I think that’s a very good characteristic that we have in this team,” Pollard told the media on Thursday.
With a coaching change and a run of defeats early in the season, this has indeed been one of the toughest roads to their fourth Grand Final in five seasons.
“This year we had to work really hard to get where we are. In our heads we feel we’ve worked extremely hard. We’re going to go out there and just do that again. If the cards don’t fall our way, then that’s rugby. But we’ve worked really hard to get ourselves here. After that tough time in the season we got clarity in the way we wanted to play the game, and that has shown in the last few games of the season. It’s very special for us to be in the Grand Final and we’re just excited to have this opportunity.
“A lot of the guys have been here before, and we’ve had some disappointments in finals. But it’s a real positive I think. From where we came from at the start of the season to where we are is special, and we want to take that confidence into the final.”
A SPECIAL OCCASION
When the United Rugby Championship first kicked off, Leinster coach Leo Cullen admitted that he hoped a rivalry could develop between his team and the Bulls.
With this Grand Final, it certainly has, especially with a return to Croke Park where Leinster beat the Pretoria team in last year’s final.
For Pollard, it’s an equally special occasion.
“There will be a lot of emotion from both sides. It should be that way. A final brings a different intensity. But we also need to control that. We need to use that energy but at the same time control our minds. We’re not dwelling on the past. We’re excited to have another opportunity. But you’ve got to enjoy the moment. The season is long and you work so hard to get to this point, so you need to enjoy it.
“Leinster do so many things well, and Jamison Gibson-Park’s kicking game off nine is probably the best in the world. That’s a big factor. There are threats all over. At this stage of the season, you can focus on the opposition, but if you don’t do what you do well, it won’t matter at all. It’s up to us to come out with the right intent and be accurate in those first 20 minutes.”