Director of rugby Jake White said the Vodacom Bulls are a much better team than four years ago; however, he feels that they are not yet where they want to be.
"We are still not where we want to be, and that’s selfish from me as a director. We’ve got better, and our team is growing and we are much better than we were four years ago when this group started."
"Let’s be fair, we’re playing Ireland on Saturday, just in a different colour jersey. They’ve got 23 internationals and that’s only because they are only allowed to play 23. So they’ve got many more internationals than we’ve got. They are the benchmark of where every club team wants to get to."
White reacted to Leinster's hooker Dan Sheehan's statement that Leinster is the hungrier side to claim their first United Rugby Championship Grand final.
"I think it’s one of those where you get to a final, everyone’s desperate to win, let’s be fair, anyone who ever sits in a final and says, 'we’re not desperate,' or 'we’re not as desperate as the other team,' would be naive."
"I can only worry about what we want to do. And obviously, we’ve had two chances. Now this is our third chance, and we will be desperate. Whether it’s as desperate or more desperate I think it goes deeper than that."
"It’s not just about the rugby and desperation. I think it’s about a little bit extra. That’s the challenge, or that’s the test we’re all going to have: which one is going to be really desperate when everything is on the line."
White also said that his line-up is the best they currently can select from at this stage.
"Every team aspires to get the best possible 23 available for the last three weekends of the tournament."
"That’s all you want because you want to give yourself a fair crack at it when you get to the back end of the comp having all the best players available. And at this point in time, these are the best players we have available for the final."