Former Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman believes that Johan Ackermann is taking a gamble by not selecting his best scrummager in the starting XV for the United Rugby Championship Final against Leinster.
The Bulls scrum has played a pivotal role in the Pretoria club reaching the final, and Springbok Wilco Louw has been a driving force in their success, living up to his billing as one of the most destructive tighthead props in the world.
However, Ackermann has opted to deploy the 31-year-old off the bench against Leinster at Croke Park on Friday evening after doing the same for the semi-final victory over Glasgow Warriors.
Louw was slated to start the quarter-final against Munster before withdrawing through illness, and Francois Klopper rose to the occasion in his absence; because of that, he was entrusted with starting the semi-final and now the final as well.
Jackman: Bulls have to start Wilco Louw
However, respected pundit Jackman believes that is a massive gamble from Ackermann, who should have started his best players against Leinster, as it’s important to start well against the Irish giants. This after the Stormers weren’t rewarded for their scrum dominance against Leinster in their semi-final defeat.
“I think they have to start Wilco Louw; you’ve got to show Andrea Piardi [the referee for the final] that you’re dominant in that area. From a Bulls point of view, you’d think they need a scrum quite early in the game on their own put-in,” Jackman said on the RTE Rugby Podcast previewing the URC final before the teams were announced.
“If you remember, the Stormers had dominance at scrum time as well, but the first 20 minutes were quite messy. The scrum was messy rather than any team being allowed to show dominance, and it was only really after 20 minutes that the Stormers got to show their superiority there.
“So if I was Ackermann, I’d be starting my best and stop Leinster from starting quickly.”
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Leinster’s front-row injuries
Leinster will be without British and Irish Lions prop Andrew Porter for the final as well as fellow loosehead props Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle. Leo Cullen has subsequently named Jerry Cahir as his starting number one, with 20-year-old Alex Usanov named on the bench.
The Bulls bench features three Springboks covering the front-row in Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Louw. Cobus Wiese and Nizaam Carr are the other two Bok forwards in the 6-2 split on the bench, with in-form loose forward Jeandre Rudolph completing the six, with Zak Burger and 22 Stedman Gans covering the backs.
“I know they might not have the juice coming off the bench at the end [if Louw started],” Jackman continued.
“But it’d be a big gamble for me not to start your best team against Leinster away from home. You need to try and get some early dominance, particularly in an area where Leinster may not be at their best, and it’s an area that the Bulls are very strong in, particularly the scrum.”
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Joining Jackman on the podcast was former Springboks and Bulls boss Jake White, who agreed with the former hooker, particularly because it’s a final.
“In play-off games now, the bench is I don’t want to say it’s irrelevant, but it’s less important because you can play 65/70 minutes with your best players, win the game, and then not worry about next week,” he said.
“That’s probably why the Bulls have a good chance because they have got a strong team. They don’t need to take guys off with 55 minutes to keep them fresh. They can basically empty the tank, and if the game’s over, you even want to keep them on, you can keep Wilco on until the 75th minute, if you need him there.”
READ MORE: Bulls team: Springboks aplenty as Johan Ackermann keeps the faith for URC final against Leinster