Leinster skipper Jack Conan says dethroning Glasgow will “count for nothing” if the Irish giants don’t dominate the Vodacom Bulls in the URC final at Croke Park on Saturday.
Leo Cullen’s men ran in six tries in a 37-19 win against the former champions at the Aviva Stadium last week, setting up a grand showdown against the Bulls.
Jake White’s Herd holds a 4-2 advantage in URC clashes and has won their last three encounters with Leinster – including a memorable 27-26 semi-final in Dublin in 2022.
Conan said his troops aren’t getting ahead of themselves after their emphatic win over Glasgow, but are relishing the opportunity to write a different script this time around.
“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, we know it is going to be a tough task [against the Bulls],” the veteran No 8 was quoted by the Irish Examiner.
“Even though it was good, it was disappointing to concede those two tries close to the end and there’s lots of things we want to get better at.
“It will all count for nothing if we don’t go on and win again and show that level of dominance,” Conan added. “We always knew we had it in us. It’s always nice to prove some people wrong and hopefully we can go again next week and silence a few more critics.”
The 32-year-old also acknowledged the momentous occasion of playing Leinster’s first URC final at Croke Park: “The history and the iconic nature of that stadium isn’t lost on us. We want to do right by that and be at our best again.”
For head coach Cullen, the chance to host the Bulls in the Irish capital for silverware brings added meaning.
“We lost the semi-final in Loftus last year and it’s not a great place to end a season,” he said. “It’s making sure we have a great week now and get excited about putting on another performance.
“Personally I have so much respect for those teams. We always feel like we have a point to prove. Certainly I do anyway. That’s just the nature of the job I’m in.”
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