Leo Cullen has shared his appreciation of SA rugby as he prepares Leinster for a blockbuster Vodacom United Rugby Championship double-header in the Republic.
For Cullen, Leinster’s matches against the Lions, at Ellis Park on Saturday and then the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria a week later, encompass all that he respects and enjoys about the country, which he says is one of those rare places in the world where the passion for the game is everywhere.
And according to the former Ireland international, it’s exactly the place the URC log-leaders want to come to and test themselves as he addressed their first trip to the Highveld in a wide-ranging interview on SA Rugby’s official website.
“We have so much respect for the South African teams,” Cullen said. “I’ve grown up watching these teams through the Currie Cup and the early days of Super Rugby. This is going to be the first time we’ll be playing at Ellis Park, which is such an iconic ground.
“Then it’s the same for Loftus Versfeld, which will also be a first for us. The Bulls beat us in the semi-final last year and we have a huge amount of respect for what they’ve done over many years.
“We’re very much looking forward to our trip because it’s an amazing country. In South Africa, rugby is all around you. It’s on the front pages and the back pages of the newspapers there. There are not that many countries that have that. It’s so steeped in the tradition of the game.
“When you’re in South Africa there is that definite sense. People are fascinated by the game because it’s all around them.
“That’s the thing that’s so exciting about the future of the United Rugby Championship. It’s some of those battles against the Bulls or the DHL Stormers over time and how they develop.
“You’re hoping it will continue not just for the next two or three years, but for the next 70 or 80 years.”
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