'There are a lot of areas we've identified we can exploit': Leinster warned

While Leinster were almost faultless in their dismantling of Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship semi-final last week, as well as much of the regular league campaign, their Grand Final opponents the Bulls believe they have identified areas to exploit this weekend at Croke Park.

As imperious as Leinster have been at their best this season, their reputation for fragility in knockout rugby has also been laid bare in recent weeks.

In their first play-off fixture since being dumped out of the Investec Champions Cup at the hands of Northampton Saints, Leinster seemed to tighten up against Scarlets in the quarter-finals at the Aviva Stadium, but had enough to get the win over the line.

Allied with the fact that a portion of the Bulls squad worked under current Leinster coach Jacques Nienaber when he was with the Springboks, flanker Marcell Coetzee believes there is enough of a blueprint to upset the firm favourites in Dublin on Saturday.

“I think with Willie [le Roux] there, he brings a lot of experience as he worked with Jacques a lot, so we understand what to expect from the defensive line,” the 31-cap Springbok said.

“That’s one area of the game, but there are a lot of areas we’ve identified we can exploit this weekend. Without oversharing, it’s going to come down to work-rate, being composed, making the right decisions at the right time and handling the kicking game as well. There are a lot of things that we’ve identified.”

Leinster were firing on all cylinders in the first half against Glasgow, and had the game wrapped by the break, in truth. While things fell their way against the reigning champions, the 34-year-old Coetzee emphasised that play-offs are not always conducive to playing in that style.

“When they get it right on the day, they can really light it up,” he added.

“That’s part of our job to nullify that as best as possible. There are certain things we’ve identified. In play-offs, there’s a time and a place for everything, and it’s all about playing in the right areas and there will be times where we want to make the game quick and control the tempo, but there are also times to settle it and see where we can go from there. It’s all about being composed and having good management on the day.”

“It’s always going to be physical when it comes to play-off stages and finals. You can’t hide the fact about that. That’s one aspect of the game, but there’s a lot of factors that contribute to getting the result or not.

“Whether the set-piece is strong, whether the game management is on par, the kicking game. So there’s a lot of things that go into play-offs. It’s all about managing the controllables. Sometimes in rugby, there are uncontrollables, but it’s the ability to adapt after that which makes a difference.”