32-7

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 Vodacom 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 Vodacom Bulls a single point in the first half for an encouraging 19-0 lead.

The Irish giants added two penalty goals 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 Vodacom 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 goal by Sam Prendergast, but this was cancelled out soon after as Vodacom 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 Vodacom 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 goal 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 by the Vodacom Bulls of winning their first Vodacom URC title.

Scorers:

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

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