Leinster outplay Bulls to clinch Vodacom URC title

Leinster, who topped the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log, proved too good for the Vodacom Bulls in front of a 40 000-strong crowd in wet and cold conditions at Croke Park in Dublin on Saturday night in the Grand Final of the cross-hemisphere showpiece, outscoring the men from Pretoria by four tries to one for a 32-7 victory and their first title since the 2020/21 season.

The win earned Leinster their ninth title in the history of the competition, while it was a case of bitter disappointment for the Bulls, who suffered their third defeat in a Grand Final since the 2021/22 season.

Leinster started the match with a bang, scoring three tries in the opening 22 minutes and they backed this up with a tenacious defensive effort, denying the Bulls a single point in the first half for an encouraging 19-0 lead.

The Irish giants added two penalties and their fourth try in the second half, while limiting the visitors to a converted try for their efforts, to seal the rewarding victory.

Leinster controlled proceedings in the opening 30 minutes, with their forwards and backs delivering quality performances on attack, while they also did well to kick the ball into space behind the defensive line. Adding to this, they made several line breaks during the match, which put immense pressure on the defence.

They scored their first try in the sixth minute by Jack Conan from a pick-and-go and added their second seven minutes later by Jordie Barrett, who kicked the ball forward following a deft chip kick from the base of a ruck, before darting to dot it down for a 14-0 lead.

They continued to apply pressure on the visitors with their enterprising play and it wasn’t long before Josh van der Flier broke through from a rolling maul for their third score of the half to stretch their lead to 19-0.

Despite trailing by a fair margin on the scoreboard, the Bulls found their rhythm near the 30-minute mark, stringing together phases on attack and working their way close to the tryline but Leinster’s effective defence thwarted their efforts.

The hosts extended their lead four minutes into the second half thanks to a penalty by Sam Prendergast but this was cancelled out soon after as Bulls replacement hooker Akker van der Merwe forced his way over the chalk from some strong forward play for their first points of the match. Flyhalf Johan Goosen’s conversion reduced their deficit to 22-7.

The Bulls did well to shut out Leinster close to their tryline as the match progressed, despite a concerted effort by the hosts to build on their score but this did not stop the hosts from keeping the scoreboard ticking with another penalty by Prendergast in the 68th minute, to push the match further out of range for the South Africans.

With momentum on Leinster’s side, they added their fourth try in the 73rd minute from a fantastic wrap-around and raw pace by Fintan Gunne and Ross Byrne’s conversion nudged them into a 32-7 lead, which they managed to maintain until the final whistle, dashing all hopes of the Bulls of winning their first URC title.

A record Irish attendance of 46 127 watched the Grand Final at Croke Park, Dublin.

This figure marks the largest-ever crowd for a league final held in Ireland, surpassing the 46 092 who attended the 2018 PRO14 Final - also involving Leinster Rugby - against Scarlets at Aviva Stadium.

The achievement is particularly impressive given the short lead-in time: tickets were only on sale for six days, compared to nine months of sales ahead of the 2017 and 2018 finals at Aviva Stadium.

A list of the previous league final attendances is below.

ATTENDANCES – DESTINATION FINALS

2019: Celtic Park, Glasgow – 47 128 (record)

2018: Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 46 092 (record)

2017: Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 45 556 (record)

2016: BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh – 34 500 (record)

2015: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast – 17500 (sell out)

ATTENDANCES – MERIT-BASED FINALS

2014: RDS Arena, Dublin (Leinster) – 19 200 (sell out)

2013: RDS Arena, Dublin (Ulster) – 19 200 (sell out)

Please note: Ulster’s home stadium not available for this fixture

2012: RDS Arena, Dublin (Leinster) – 18 500 (sell out)

2011: Thomond Park, Limerick (Munster) – 26 100 (sell out)

2010: RDS Arena, Dublin (Leinster) – 19 500 (sell out)

FINALS HELD DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

2021: RDS Arena, Dublin (Leinster) – No fans permitted

2020: Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Leinster) – No fans permitted

URC ERA GRAND FINALS (Merit based and sold in one- or two-week windows)

2025: Aviva Stadium, Dublin (Leinster) – 46 127

2024: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (Vodacom Bulls) – 50 388

2023: DHL Stadium, Cape Town (DHL Stormers) – 56 344 (record)

2022: DHL Stadium, Cape Town (DHL Stormers) – 31 000 (sell out based on available capacity)

HIGHEST-ATTENDED FINALS IN UK & IRELAND

47 128: Celtic Park, Glasgow – 2019

46092: Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 2018

45556: Aviva Stadium, Dublin – 2017

Note: These were destination finals with sales windows of nine months

Score

Leinster 32 (19) – Tries: Jack Conan, Jordie Barrett, Josh van der Flier, Fintan Gunne. Conversions: Sam Prendergast (2), Ross Byrne. Penalties: Prendergast (2).

Vodacom Bulls 7 (0) – Try: Akker van der Merwe. Conversion: Johan Goosen.