Jake White’s Bulls will get a third crack at the URC championship when they take on an equally motivated Leinster at Croke Park in Saturday’s Grand Final at 18h00.
Jake White, head coach of the Bulls during the United Rugby Championship 2024/25 Semi Final match (Pic – Nokwanda Zondi/BackpagePix)
To Win
1/6 Leinster | Draw 28/1 | Bulls 46/10
Having already lost out in two previous URC finals, including last season’s heartbreaking defeat to Glasgow Warriors at Loftus Versfeld, the Bulls’ opponents for this title decider should be arguably the only other club in the competition that can match them for sheer desperation.
The Pretoria side were too good for the Sharks in their semi-final a week ago, with the likes of Embrose Papier and Sebastian de Klerk producing outstanding individual displays.
Unfortunately, though, that win came at the cost of Next-Gen Player of the Season Cameron Hanekom, who’s been ruled out after going down injured on the Highveld.
His absence means the experience of the likes of Willie le Roux, a crucial absentee from last year’s final, Marcell Coetzee, and Johan Goosen will be even more vital, with the performance of the team’s exceptional tight five set to make or break their efforts.
Counting against Leinster is their knockout history against the Bulls, with the Saffa franchise having dumped them out of the semi-final stage of the competition on two separate occasions: in Pretoria last season and, famously, in Dublin in 2022. The Bulls were also the first of only two teams to beat the Irish outfit during the round robin stages, making this game even more personal.
Plenty has been said about Leo Cullen’s side’s inability to deliver when it matters most over the past few years, and one would think that a loss on Saturday should see heads roll in the Irish capital.
However, with the home support behind them and the positive talk coming out of their camp this week, back them to put on a performance befitting of their quality and finally get the URC monkey off their back.
Verdict: Leinster on the board
Expect more heartache for the Bulls, with Leinster poised to exorcise their demons and claim a first bit of silverware since 2021.
