By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Photo Credit: Vodacom Bulls.
Leinster successfully defended their Vodacom United Rugby Championship title with a deserved 36-7 victory (half-time 22-0) over an uncharacteristic hapless Vodacom Bulls side in the Grand Final at Croke Park in Dublin on Friday evening.
It was a fourth defeat in five URC finals for the Bulls, who must be wondering what they have to do to get across the line in this competition.
Having lost last year’s Dublin decider 32-7, the Bulls had spoken in the build-up to this final about preventing Leinster’s lightning fast starts and maintaining their discipline.
The Pretoria-based side failed on both counts.
Leinster dominated the opening period and led 22-0 at the interval thanks to tries from Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane and Jack Conan as the Pretoria side paid the penalty for an error-strewn first-half performance which saw them twice reduced to 14 men for deliberate knock-on offences.
Sam Prendergast and Harry Byrne added further scores after the break, with Canan Moodie crossing for Bulls, who found themselves on the wrong end of two debatable decisions by the officials as they crossed the line twice more for tries that were ruled out.
Leinster have now won the league 10 times in its various guises – the first to defend the URC crown since its 2021 rebrand – while the Bulls suffered disappointment yet again with a fourth defeat in the past five URC finals.
Leinster – Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jack Conan, Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne. Conversions: Sam Prendergast (3), Harry Byrne. Penalty: Sam Prendergast.
Bulls– Try: Canan Moodie. Conversion: Handré Pollard.
Leinster: Keenan; O’Brien, Ioane, Osborne, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Cahir, Kelleher, Furlong, McCarthy, Ryan, Deegan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt)
Replacements: Sheehan, Usanov, Clarkson, Mangan, Conan, McGrath, Byrne, Ringrose
Bulls: Le Roux; Arendse, Moodie, Vorster, Jacobs; Pollard, Papier; Steenekamp, Grobbelaar, Klopper, Vermaak, Nortje, Coetzee (capt), Louw, Hanekom
Replacements: van Staden, Wessels, Louw, Wiese, Rudolph, Burger, Gans, Carr.