Leinster second-row Jason Jenkins is relishing the opportunity of facing the Bulls in the final round of the United Rugby Championship next week and said it will be an “interesting” encounter against his former team.

The Irish province are set to face the Lions in a double-header at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday – along with the Bulls and Zebre Parma – before heading to Pretoria, where they will take on Jake White’s troops.

Keen to return to his former stomping ground

Jenkins is looking forward to returning to his former stomping ground on Saturday, April 22.

“It will be good to get back, it’s nice and close to home,” he told SA Rugby Magazine. “I’ll see the family when we have a bit of time off; other than that, I’ll be in camp.

“I’m from Pretoria, maybe 15 minutes from where the Bulls are, probably about 40 minutes from where the Lions are in Johannesburg.

“I’ve never actually played against the Bulls, so it will be interesting. It will be special to play down in Loftus again; it’s a real special place. I played many years there, lots of my rugby, junior levels through to Super Rugby. So it will be a special experience.”

Jenkins is in the second year of his stint at Leinster after joining them from Munster. Prior to that, he started his career with the Bulls where he spent six years after making his senior debut for them in 2015.

Although he has plenty of experience of playing at Loftus Versfeld, the 26-year-old believes it will be a difficult challenge to play against the Bulls at altitude.

“It’s something you just have to experience; also, you don’t want to blow it up and give it too much credit,” said the one-Test Springbok. “Once you get there and have a session or two, you sort of blow it out and get used to it; you get that second wind, and you’re actually fine.

“I’d say it will still hit me. I haven’t played there for a couple of years now. I guess when you’re from there, you’re always training at that level and playing there, and you don’t realise the effect it has.

“I haven’t really had much opportunity to go back and see how it is until now, so it will be interesting.

Tough playing at altitude

“Initially, it just feels (tough). At Loftus, in the tunnel, there’s a big sign as you walk onto the field that says, ‘1,350 metres altitude… it matters’.

“That’s something to put off the opposition, but it’s all mental.”

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