Three early tries led the Irish team Leinster to a solid 32-7 win over South Africa’s Bulls in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final held in Dublin on Saturday, earning them their record-extending ninth title.
The home team started strong despite the heavy rain, with No. 8 Jack Conan, center Jordie Barrett, and flanker Josh van der Flier scoring early on. Fintan Gunne capped off a great performance with a late try.
The Bulls from Pretoria have now faced disappointment by losing three out of their last four URC finals, even though they were considered underdogs against a team filled with players from the British & Irish Lions who are heading to Australia this month.
Hooker Akker van der Merwe scored the only try for the visitors as Leinster partially redeemed themselves after their surprising loss to Northampton Saints in the European Champions Cup semi-finals. The winning margin in this final was the largest ever recorded in the competition’s history.
Leinster captain Conan expressed relief, saying, “It feels good; it has taken a long time to actually win something. I appreciate everyone who has worked hard over the past few years.
” He added, “I’m happy we showed up and played well, proving some critics wrong.” Conan, who also scored tries in the finals of 2018 and 2021, pushed through from close range to give his team an excellent start.
Scrumhalf Luke McGrath replaced Jamison Gibson-Park at the last minute and made a clever kick over the Bulls’ defense. Barrett, playing his final game before heading back to New Zealand, caught it and scored.
The Bulls seemed stunned by this turn of events, but things got worse when Van der Flier took advantage of a Leinster driving maul and fell over for his team’s third try.
The visitors spent a lot of time in Leinster’s 22 during the next 15 minutes, but thanks to an impressive defensive effort from Leinster, they couldn’t score, leaving the halftime score at 19-0. Early in the second half, fly-half Sam Prendergast kicked a penalty to increase Leinster’s lead.
Finally, after 50 minutes, the Bulls got on the scoreboard when Van der Merwe powered his way across the tryline. However, Leinster quickly regained control and territory afterward; Prendergast added another penalty before substitute Gunne scored.
“Credit to them, to be fair that first 40 minutes we were under the pump,” Bulls coach Jake White said. “One thing Leinster do well is they don’t let you chase the game, they are clinical once they get ahead.”
