12 hours ago
2
Leinster lifted their first trophy since 2021 after a convincing 32-7 United Rugby Championship final win over the Bulls at Croke Park on Saturday. The wet weather failed to deter an attendance of 46,127 – a record for a league decider in Ireland – as Leinster became the first table-topping team to win the title in the URC era.
Despite Jamison Gibson-Park’s pre-match withdrawal, Leinster roared into a 19-0 half-time lead with tries from Jack Conan, Jordie Barrett and Josh van der Flier.
after newsletter promotion
Beaten finalists in 2022 and 2024, the Pretoria-based Bulls crossed in the 50th minute through the replacement Akker van der Merwe to cancel out a Sam Prendergast penalty. Prendergast took his haul to 10 points and the replacement Fintan Gunne’s closing try was converted by the Gloucester-bound Ross Byrne.
Conan pointed the way for the hosts with a fifth-minute try, crashing over after an initial maul and Prendergast converted. The departing Barrett got his right boot to Luke McGrath’s deft dink in the 13th minute, opening up the Bulls’ backfield to score beside the posts. Van der Flier emerged through a maul to make it 19-0, as penalties continued to prove costly for the Bulls.
The South Africans finally got some momentum, battering away before Willie le Roux was guilty of a poor kick and then a forward pass. Although Prendergast opened the second-half scoring, the visitors hit back when Van der Merwe drove over for Johan Goosen to convert.
It remained 22-7 with Leinster failing to capitalise on a tap penalty, while Prendergast pushed another one wide.GThe young fly-half was back on target in the 67th minute and Gunne then scored from a neat wraparound move – a fine finish to the campaign for Leinster’s 12 British and Irish Lions representatives.
English (US)