‘We got here through taking chances. We see an opportunity, we take it. That is what you must do in big games as well.’
Veteran Springbok and Bulls fullback Willie le Roux said he has encouraged his younger teammates to play without fear and continue to take risks even if some do not pay off, in their United Rugby Championship final against Leinster on Saturday.
The Bulls will play their third URC final in four years at 6pm at Croke Park in Dublin. This, after beating Edinburgh in the quarter-finals and the Sharks in the semi-finals, while their star-studded Irish opponents knocked out Scarlets and Glasgow Warriors in their play-off matches, both also played at home.
Le Roux, a 98-Test double World Cup winner, said his team should not allow the magnitude of the occasion to change the way they have played this year, which saw them win 14 out of 18 matches in the regular season, finishing second on the points table behind Leinster.
‘We got here through taking chances’
“A bit of advice that I can give to younger guys is it’s the same as playing the first game of the season,” Le Roux said.
“It’s not putting this on a pedestal and making it that much bigger, and then you cramp into your shell and you don’t want to try stuff and you don’t want to run from your own half. That’s not what got us here in the first place.
“We got here through taking chances. We see an opportunity, we take it. That is what you must do in big games as well.”
The Bulls playmaker said mistakes are part of the game, and a player would add more value by putting himself out there.
“That is the little things I tell the guys: try and ask for the ball, get your hands on the ball and do as much as you can.
“You might lose a few battles, but it is just about getting back up and getting yourself into as many as you can, and have no doubts afterwards.”
Bulls will continue to do what works for them
Le Roux said the Bulls are focusing on enjoying their game as they play for themselves and each other.
“I don’t think there is a need to put any added pressure on us,” he said of feeling the pressure and changing things now.
“We go out there, playing for our brothers, we play for our friend that we’ve lost [the late Cornal Hendricks]. We have one job to do and that is what we are focusing on. It will be a huge battle on Saturday.”
