The Bulls have now lost four URC finals in five seasons. Harry Jones was embedded on their bench at Croke Park when the latest chance slipped away.What he witnessed from three meters away tells a story the scoreboard does not. A stunned bench. A Leinster coaching staff burning calories delivering information in real time. Eight Springbok calibre players sitting in silence with no shared framework for what was unfolding in front of them. And in the aftermath, the image Jones cannot shake: Cameron Hanekom, alone under the posts, staring at all of it.This is not a post-match reaction. It is a first-hand account of what a final looks like from the inside, and what it might mean for the Bulls until they solve it.

A year out from Australia 2027, Rassie Erasmus is fast-tracking players most coaches would wait on. Riley Norton at 21. Paul de Villiers stacking man-of-the-match awards at the Stormers. A bomb squad being rebuilt from scratch. The Nations Championship squad is not a holding pattern. It is a blueprint.Jon Cardinelli, one of SA rugby's sharpest analysts, joins Harry Jones on The Lekker Rugby Pod to decode what this next wave of Springboks tells us about 2027.In this episode:Why Riley Norton and Paul de Villiers are being fast-tracked ahead of the All Blacks seriesThe evolution of the bomb squad and why the second hooker might not be a hookerThe prop selections that break every convention about age and experienceElrigh Louw's omission and the silence Rassie left around itRecorded before Rassie's Nations Championship press conference. Some of what Jon and Harry decoded here, Rassie confirmed later. The Elrigh question, he didn't touch.If you enjoy the show, the best thing you can do is LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the BELL so you never miss an episode.On this episode of The Lekker Rugby Pod, MW Welman and Harry Jones are joined by rugby journalist Jon Cardinelli.

Can the Bulls pull off the upset of the year in Dublin on Friday?With the URC Final days away, MW Welman and Harry Jones go live to break down the Leinster and Bulls team announcements and make the case for why this final might not be the foregone conclusion many expect. The Bulls' front row is the story, and Leinster know it.In this episode:Why the Bulls' pack could be Leinster's worst nightmare in DublinAndrew Porter's withdrawal and what it signals ahead of the finalThe team announcements broken down and what they revealHarry Jones heads behind the scenes with the Bulls on match day Friday