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Jovial Jake White before a match. (Photo by Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)

Bulls mentor Jake White has emphatically dismissed a stream of thought that his team peaked too early in their brilliant semi-final victory over Leinster last week ahead of Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) final.

Some commentators, notably former Springbok consultant and Lions coach Swys de Bruin, earlier this week pondered if the men from Loftus over-exerted themselves mentally and might perhaps fall a bit flat when they meet the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium.

But White believes if his charges' reaction after the win in Dublin is anything to go by, they will be more than up for the challenge.

"Last week when we beat Leinster, we didn't celebrate," said the franchise's director of rugby.

"It wasn't like we achieved anything. I can tell you that the guys were happy, but they weren't jumping around and celebrating like everything is done. That's a good sign for a coach."

His skipper, irrepressible flanker Marcell Coetzee, has continually reiterated over the past few weeks that the Bulls have been playing knockout rugby ever since they've had rescue themselves from a poor start to the campaign.

Furthermore, White's troops have won two of the three finals they've appeared over the past two years.

READ |Jake concerned over scrum fiasco on URC final pitch: 'Stormers could suffer most'

"We've had to jump up from 15th on the log. I remember people sharing screenshots of us being second last on the table. We've had to play knockout rugby for most of this campaign," he said.

"[World Cup-winning Springbok coach] Kitch Christie always used to say that you have to play your best rugby in a final and that's the reality.

"We got nothing from winning in Dublin. You maybe get 250 WhatsApp messages from your mates congratulating you, but it's not winning.

"Our final is on Saturday. I'm not concerned. The Stormers won their semi-final with a try and conversion with the last play against Ulster. Maybe their final was last week as well.

"A final is remembered by the team who wins it. It's like Neil Armstrong being the first man on the moon, the second guy was also there but nobody remembers him."

Meanwhile, White has had no qualms laying down the simple challenge to his players of pulling out all the stops this weekend because, as he's discovered, they've repelled everything that's been thrown at them over the past few years.

Teams:

Stormers

15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)

Substitutes: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Sacha Mngomezulu

Bulls

15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp

Substitutes: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 David Kriel

"Last week we beat Leinster with 19 internationals. We beat South Africa 'A' last year. And my message to them would be all those players started like we started. All of them were young at one point and they had to either sink or swim," he said.

"Thats the message - either we sink or swim. I have no doubt every time we have played in a knockout game, we have come through the other side as winners. Every time we have had to beat someone - we lost to the Sharks twice, and we beat them in the playoff, we lost to the Sharks in the Currie Cup and we beat them in the final.

We lost to the Stormers twice, now it's irrelevant. It's a playoff game and the lessons we learn by playing all those big teams, they all started like this. We dont have five World Cup winners. If they picked the Springbok team tomorrow, we wouldnt have one player in the 23.

"But saying that, it's a great way to be, because all the teams started like that. Leinster started like that, the Crusaders started like that. The Springboks started like that. When I started coaching the Springboks in 2004, we had 175 caps of which Breyton (Paulse) had 80 and Os (du Randt) had 50. That team went on to win Tri Nations, World Cup and the British & Irish Lions.

"My message is, 'listen boys, let's go out there and do it'. Every time Ive challenged you, youve won."

Kick-off is at 19:30.

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Jake rubbishes talk that Bulls peaked too early in Dublin: 'Lots of WhatsApps isn't winning' - News24

Evil Geniuses vs Cloud9 Picks

Evil Geniuses

The spring season playoff winners Evil Geniuses kick off their summer season against Cloud9 hoping to continue the fine form that led them to a $100,000 prize pool two months ago. They had a 9-9 win-loss record in the league before winning it all in the playoffs by comfortably seeing off 100 Thieves 3-0 in the final. They face Cloud9 team in a rematch of the round 2 spring playoffs game in which the Evil Geniuses prevailed 3-0. The title win last season was inspired by performances across the team with bot laner Danny winning the player of the game award four times.

Support player Vulcan also made the 3rd All Pro Team while their jungler Inspired 3.04 kills, 1.79 deaths, 6.97 assists for a KDA of 5.61. The mood in the camp is buoyant after the win in the spring playoffs and the roster looks fairly settled ahead of their title defence, with no changes made. They are slim favorites to start off with a win in their first league match.

Cloud9 have to cope without Summit and two other support players Isles and Winsome after a turnover in their roster and it is hard to know how ready they are to face opposition like Evil Geniuses. Summit along with jungler Blaber were part of the All Pro team last season.

Cloud9 faltered in the knockout game despite qualifying two positions ahead of Evil Geniuses in the league. They had a 13-5 record in the league led by their top laner Summit who was top of the Player of the Game standings winning the award seven times. Cloud9 will be boosted by the return of Jensen who rejoined the side after over three years. He previously played and lost three LCS finals before joining Team Liquid and winning his first title.

Cloud9 will hope he can continue his form alongside Fudge who has impressed while averaging 3.54 kills, 1.81 deaths, 5.73 assists with a KDA of 5.12. They will need him to keep that up to have any chance of beating Evil Geniuses and build momentum for the early part of the season.

Golden Guardians

Golden Guardians head into the new season with renewed optimism after a solid 6th place finish in the spring standings. Like the eventual winners Evil Geniuses, they got 9 wins and 9 losses last season and even rose up to 3rd in the standings at one point before flatering in the first playoff round losing to Cloud9.

They now have to cope without their bot laner Lost who averaged 3.45 kills, 2.14 deaths, 4.18 assists and a KDA of 3.57. Replacing him is Stixxay who changes position from positional coach to bot laner. As long as they can manage the loss of Lost, Golden Guardians should be able to pick up the win and get off to a comfortable start. They will be looking to build on their 6th place finish in the spring season and become one of the top tier teams in the league.

FlyQuest also got 9 wins and 9 losses last season and qualified for the playoffs in 5th place even though the team looked to be heading for a top 3 finish throughout the season. They lost to the eventual winners Evil Geniuses in the playoff round. But this season, they have bolstered their squad by adding top laner Philip from their academy.

They will bank on their mid laner Toucouille who was named in the 2nd All Pro Team last season to continue making an impact. Both teams are trying to move up the standings but we think Golden Guardians have enough to win this game and potentially get their season off to a good start while FlyQuest will need their new additions to fire in order to make a game of this and start the season with a win.

100 Thieves

100 Thieves enjoyed a fine spring season finishing 3rd in the standings with a 12-6 win-loss record before going all the way to the finals in the playoffs. They led the table for much of the league season before eventually finishing 3rd. Theyll start as heavy favorites to win against TSM in their first contest of the new season. They will once again bank on the talented top laner Ssumday who had a stirring season winning player of the game five times.

His record of 2.71 kills, 1.47 deaths, 4.91 assists for a KDA of 5.18 is the highest in the team. They go into the new season unchanged aiming to take the next step and win the title this time.With a settled squad and on the back of a solid season, momentum is on the side of 100 Thieves and they will be the favorites in their first match of the summer season and for the rest of the campaign.

TSM endured a dismal spring season finishing 9th in the standings with a 5-13 win-loss record. They failed to make the playoffs and only managed to get themselves off the bottom of the table in the penultimate week after being bottom for most of the season. Mid laner Maple and support player Shenyi were added to the roster to help improve the team.

Though the changes will definitely improve TSMs chances this season, the first match against 100 Thieves may have come too early for them and it will need to be a real team effort to be competitive. 100 Thieves is the favorite in their first match of the summer season and they will be expected to push on and have another fine season this summer.

Team Liquid

After finishing bottom of the table in the spring season, Immortals will be hoping to turn their fortunes around this time. The grim form last season prompted wholesale changes in the roster with bot laner Lost joining from Golden Guardians. He averaged 3.45 kills, 2.14 deaths, 4.18 assists and a KDA of 3.57 and Immortals will hope that he will be able to hit the ground running quickly along with other new faces jungler Kenvi and support player Ignar.

This is a new roster for Immortals and it is hard to know how ready they will be for opposition like Team Liquid with such a short turnaround time. It will take a miracle for the bottom team last year to do any real damage against the league-topping Team Liquid. The money is on a Team Liquid win in their first match of the summer season.

The powerhouse Team Liquid is no stranger to success having won 4 LCS titles in a row and taking the 1st seed for North America at Worlds 2019. In the spring season this year too,Team Liquid enjoyed a stellar campaign finishing top of the standings before being edged out by eventual winners Evil Geniuses in the third round of the playoffs.

Their league record of 14 wins and 4 losses with a 78% win record was unmatched and they go into the new season as one of the early favorites. Their team effort was led by their jungler Santorin who was awarded player of the game five times while mid laner Bjergsen, bot laner Hans sama and support player CoreJJ all made it to the All Pro team.

It is the same roster as last season with Team Liquid hoping to go further in the playoffs and win the title. They are an easy bet to place for the first match of the summer season and are heavily favored to kick on from their showing last season and be competitive in the playoffs again.

Dignitas

Dignitas narrowly missed out on making the playoffs in the spring season after finishing seventh with a 8-10 win loss record and a 44% win percentage. The team will be looking to go one better this time and make the playoffs and they will do so after bolstering their roster by re-signing top laner Gamsu who made the switch from 100 Thieves academy roster.

They will hope he combines well with the assists machine Biofrost who averages 7.25 assists with a KDA of 3.96. Their task will be to remain highly competitive in the league and hope to go further than they did in the spring season and make the playoffs this time around.

Time will tell if the decision to re-sign Gamsu will turn out to be the masterstroke they were looking for but they should have enough in the team to see off Counter Logic Gaming in the first match of the summer season.

Counter Logic Gaming also missed out on the playoffs in the spring season after finishing 8th with a 6-12 win loss record and a 33% win percentage. It was a league campaign where they were just unable to build any real momentum with their highest position only 7th during the whole season.

They have recruited top laner dhokla from the academy roster to replace the outgoing Jenkins but the change alone is not expected to be enough to fire them up the table. They will find it difficult against Dignitas in the first match of the summer season and it is likely they will have to regroup quickly to avoid a repeat of last season and move up the table.

They will aim to be competitive and the top laner dhokla will be key to their chances of having a better season this time.

Read more from the original source:
LCS Picks, Predictions and Odds for 17 June - World Sports Network

Among the many India-Pakistan World Cup moments that stand as fresh as the present in the fan memory is the Venkatesh Prasad-Aamer Sohail confrontation in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.

The Pakistan batter provoking the Indian bowler after he had hit the latter for a boundary past the cover region, and cut to the next delivery, Prasad uprooting Aamers off-stump and giving him the perfect send-off.

It is a moment that is always revisited while talking about one of the greatest cricket rivalries.

As recently as Sunday, Venkatesh Prasad also took a trip down the memory lane to add to his point of view on the incident.

When asked by a Twitter user, the former India bowler responded to the incident by writing that it was his arrogance that cost Sohail his wicket in the World Cup knockout game.

He was arrogant in this image you posted, you need to see the next ball to know what arrogance can do-Uproot which in Hindi means Ukhaad, he wrote via his Twitter account.

Last year, Sohail had shared his half of the story during a YouTube chat.

There was nothing said, Aamer told Cricket Life Stories.

People interpret it differently. They have to say something to prove that they understand the game well. There was no word exchanged. Javed Miandad told us how to rile up the bowler when you think that he is going to take charge. It was reverse psychology.

The dismissal of Sohail by Prasad is seen as the turning point of the 1996 World Cup quarter-final between India and Pakistan. Chasing 288, the defending champions were 114/1 after 14.5 overs with nine wickets in hand. Pakistan were unable to forge a big partnership post Sohails wicket and eventually lost the game by 39 runs.

See the rest here:
'He was arrogant': Venkatesh Prasad on Aamer Sohail during the 1996 World Cup incident - The Indian Express

THE inequitable phase of the Football Championship is nigh. Those handicapped by superiority in their own province take up the obligatory brace position for whatever hurtles out of the Qualifier tunnel toward them.

In the case of Connacht champions Galway, the sight of Kieran McGeeneys Armagh coming down the tracks may resemble more an oncoming train than something light and bendable. It might be twenty years since they upended Kerry in an All-Ireland final for a maiden Sam Maguire, but McGeeneys squad have a critical pre-requisite heading to the big smoke in a fortnight battle-hardened momentum.

The Orchard have undressed Tyrone and Donegal on successive weekends and carries the sort of beneficial freight to Croke Park in a fortnight that Cork, Clare or even Mayo have not magicked up. The 3-17 to 0-16 defeat of Donegal in Clones on Sunday was every bit as resounding as it reads.

Theyve also kicked over the traces of Ulster tradition and shaped a new order. Derry and Armagh look like theyre future-proofing while Donegal, Monaghan and even Tyrone look jaded and samey.

Monday's quarter-final draw has delivered the sort of lop-sided draw that will have Galway, Armagh, Derry and Clare salivating at the very real chance of a road to the All-Ireland final.

On the other side, the winners of Kerry and Mayo will expect to walk into Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final. For Jack O'Connor's charges, Mayo is precisely the game they need to jumpstart their competitive batteries - but it is laced with trouble. Unquestionably, Mayo will bring the heat and lean on their gut checks against Monaghan and Kildare while also planning to test the pulse of the Kerry keeper and full-back line. Neither has been properly scrutinised this season. Whoever emerges should, at least, be better braced for whatever Dublin or Cork have coming down the line.

Munster, the weakest province for many, provided more quarter-finalists than any other and though Cork and Clare must deny it, they are both in a place now where the last eight ensures an upbeat appraisal of their season. Whereas Cork have landed the draw from hell in Dublin - given Derry and Galway were the other possibilities - the Banner will have learned from their League undressing by Derry and will be all the better for it this time around. If Armaghs dismantling of Declan Bonners side was the standout statement of the qualifiers, Clares win over Roscommon on Saturday at Croke Park was the head-turner, and it also worked 70-odd valuable Jones Road minutes into their legs and minds.

The manager Colm Collins carries the gait of a man utterly unfussed by the constant facility to sidestep what used be termed conventional wisdom. As Paul Keane details elsewhere on these pages, Collins has won 50% of his championship games since 2014 and made a pair of All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Is it unrealistic to think that Cork can live with Dublin for over seventy minutes in Croke Park? Probably. Captain Brian Hurley wasnt having any mention of bonus territory after their unconvincing 2-18 to 1-16 win over Limerick at Pirc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday, even if the five-point victory did suggest that footballs upheaval in the county is eventually starting to subside. But Dublin are in another orbit to Limerick.

Manager John Cleary belongs to a time when Cork trips to Croke Park were an every-year occurrence but right now they should be chewed to the marrow. The great deficit of their 2020 Munster final defeat to Tipperary after catching Kerry was losing the experience and value of an All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo. Not since the same opposition pipped them by a point in 2014, have they played a knockout game at Croke Park.

Billy Lees Limerick kept them honest, and then some, for the greatest part on Sundays Round 2 Qualifier, and only when the visitors lost Gordon Brown to a black card did Cork add 1-3 in a hurry to put daylight between the sides. A Brian Donovan goal on the hour had made it a three-point game, 1-15 to 1-12, before Corks Kevin ODonovan was felled for a penalty converted by Hurley.

We played Derry and Galway in the League, beaten seven or eight points, but we were not totally outclassed, reflected Cleary. We think we are after improving a good bit in the meantime, we have players back that we didn't have then, and not alone would we be having a shot at it, we would hope to be very competitive and with a chance of winning it.

For a county like Cork, with the players we have at our disposal, that should be a minimum. We are there now and we want to play in an All-Ireland semi-final after a quarter-final. We'll leave no stone unturned in the next two weeks to try and get there.

By their league ranking, Cork are around 14th best in the country, one behind Clare. But after the upheaval of a torrid League, as Cleary described it, and the loss of manager Keith Ricken, not to mention a swathe of squad departures, there is a welcome quietness around the camp now.

Weve been stuttering away, for want of a better word, and now what we are looking at is trying to beat whats in front of us. We wanted to back up Louth and put back-to-back wins together but were under no illusions, were really in the frying pan now.

Though he had a quiet afternoon generally, Cathail OMahonys 45th-minute run and goal underlined the potency of an inside line completed by Hurley and Stephen Sherlock that again chipped in with 2-10.

Billy Lee wore the hangdog look of a man afterwards whod seen a glorious window of opportunity snap shut on his forefinger. Reminding him that Limerick are top 12 in the country and preparing for Division 2 in 2023 could be interpreted as patronising, however relevant for context. Hell only have to look out the Ennis Road to see what might have been.

That ten minutes with the black card, we suffered badly, thats our own fault, but it slipped away from us there, he acknowledged. Weve work to do for Division 2 next year but we are bitterly disappointed now. Four, five-point losses wont be any good to us in 2023. We have to find a way to get over the line in matches.

I backed these lads after the Munster final on live television when we didnt do ourselves justice, but I didnt have any doubt that theyd step up and compete against Cork. Where these lads have come from, ranked 31st or 32nd in the country, to where they are now, you have to have serious courage to do that. We might never win All-Irelands but there isnt a team in the country would have done what those lads have. It would have been easier to walk away.

A version of Lees Limerick met Galways second string the Thursday after the Munster and Connacht finals, but in terms of foreign prep, its been slim pickings for the four provincial winners ahead of their quarter-finals. How they have managed the interregnum will make or break their summers and in that respect, Jack O'Connor has priceless experience. Kerry have eschewed the possibility of a game since May 28, instead opting for their favoured quiet camp at Fota Island in Cork last weekend. Similarly, Dublin and Derry have been keeping it in house though all made trips to Croke Park and Clones this weekend to study the form.

The qualifier system is headed for the dirt nap if administrators have their way and not many provincial winners will weep its demise. Ditto provincial final losers. Statistics indicate that three out of four beaten finalists lose next time this weekend it was a full house of all four for the first time in 12 years Roscommon, Donegal, Kildare and Limerick. Is it the difficulty of recharging batteries? Or overcoming disappointment? Or an issue with drained confidence?

It won't bother Armagh or Mayo, nor Cork or Clare, who all have back-to-back wins. With two weeks to refuel and refocus, the quartet of football championship qualifiers have no drag to be bothering them - and the win that momentum delivers in their sails.

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The Last Eight: Kerry have the All-Ireland quarter-final they need - even if it's mined with trouble - Irish Examiner

For Jimmy OBrien, there was little solace to be taken in the fact that he stood up and was counted on the biggest day of a burgeoning career in Marseille.

My girlfriend tried telling me that as well, the Kildare native shrugged when it was put to him that he had a good game against La Rochelle last Saturday.

I told her I would have taken playing the worst game of my career if we had won and I would have taken a red card, doing everything bad, missing every tackle, dropping every ball if we had just won.

Its very, very difficult.

Its been a brilliant year for a player once tipped for big things by Isa Nacewa and despite his disappointment, he has his hand firmly in the air for selection for tomorrows United Rugby Championship final eight clash with Glasgow Warriors at the RDS.

Its been a tough week around Leinsters UCD base, but theyve been using their hurt as motivation for taking down the Scots and booking their space in the finalfour.

We still have the URC to play for, its a knockout game, a quarter-final at home, so it is still an exciting game to play in and everyones looking forward to it, OBrien said.

I hadnt really played knockout rugby for Leinster up until this season so, yeah, I really want to play in these big games and hopefully we still have three big knockout games to come, starting this weekend against Glasgow.

Id love to play in it, theyre still massive games and Id love to play in another final and try to win one.

Theyre a very good side; tough to play against.

The one game that stands out in my mind is that Rainbow Cup game last year when we were over there and they beat us.

They really got into us and got a good win out of it and that really p***ed us off, we were very frustrated.

Long-term, OBriens focus is already on next season and going one step further in the Champions Cup.

You kind of have to remember how you felt right after it in the changing room and use that for next season, he said.

Didnt the final get announced for the Aviva next year, thats even another motivation, to get to the final at home.

Were just going to have to try to use the pain.

Continue reading here:
'My girlfriend tried telling me that as well' - Good final performance no consolation for Jimmy O'Brien - Independent.ie