Gavin Rich draws a direct line from Bordeaux's physically suffocating 41-19 dismantling of Leinster in Bilbao to what the SA sides need to do in the URC Finals Series. The core argument: Leinster were exposed by exactly the kind of frontal physicality that SA teams are theoretically capable of delivering — but the Stormers squandered their chance to finish second in the regular season, which would have forced Leinster to travel to Cape Town for a semifinal rather than hosting the Lions at the Aviva. Rich notes the Stormers, even with a quarterfinal against Cardiff still to negotiate, would have posed a far more credible threat to Leinster on home turf.
The piece also flags a genuine Bok selection concern bubbling beneath the URC narrative: Lucu's authoritative display for Bordeaux threw into relief the scrumhalf injury problems facing both the Stormers (Reinach) and the Lions (Van den Bergh) heading into the playoffs — and by extension Erasmus, who has Faf de Klerk and a clutch of unproven youngsters ahead of the Barbarians Test in under four weeks. On the draw, Rich argues the Bulls quietly got the better end of it by landing fourth seed, putting them on Glasgow's side of the bracket rather than Leinster's.