‘There will be things that we won’t be as good at without a guy like Cameron, but there are things we will be much better at with a guy like Marcell at eight.’
The Bulls have said any weaknesses in defence or decrease in impact at the breakdown caused by the loss of star eighthman Cameron Hanekom will be negated by the strengths carried into their URC final by his replacement.
Hanekom, the United Rugby Championship’s Next-Gen Player of the Season and member of the tournament’s Elite XV, suffered a hamstring injury after a cleanout in the second half of their semi-final win over the Sharks last Saturday.
While the 23-year-old Springbok was hopeful of a return in time for the final just a week later, Bulls boss Jake White immediately knew it would not be possible.
Hanekom’s exit opens the door
His matchday squad, revealed on Thursday, saw Marco van Staden replace Hanekom in the starting XV though he plays at six flanker, while Marcell Coetzee shifts to No. 8. Both are capped Springboks and have played well for the Bulls this season.
“Marco is a World Cup winner and it’s a great test for him. He’s playing against [British & Irish Lions flanker] Josh van der Flier. They have obviously played Test match rugby against each other and like anything, when you move the deck chairs, sometimes you get different options as well,” White said.
“There will be things that we won’t be as good at without a guy like Cameron, but there are things we will be much better at with a guy like Marcell at eight.”
White said this after being reminded of how he said the Bulls had suffered without Hanekom in their regular-season loss to the Sharks at Loftus. White said at the time that the eighthman would have plugged holes that the Sharks exploited.
Coetzee and Van Staden bring their own strengths
Now, White has rather looked to the strengths Coetzee and Van Staden will bring to the Croke Park final.
“I don’t think it really makes any difference – what I am trying to say is Leinster is going to play like Leinster anyway and we are going to have to be good enough to beat them whether we had Cameron filling certain gaps or whether we have got a player who maybe doesn’t have the same attributes.
“Who knows, maybe sometimes the attributes that Marcell brings as a No 8 and the fact that he played for Ulster and he understands the Irish way and the fact that he probably played at Croke Park as well… Maybe those are things we also mustn’t take for granted.”
