Leinster face Bulls once more as familiar final carries new undertones
James Lowe has scored a club-record 71 tries in 101 appearances for Leinster
©Inpho Photography
The final of the 2025/26 United Rugby Championship will be a repeat of last season’s showpiece as Leinster welcome the Bulls to Croke Park on Friday.
After missing out on Investec Champions Cup glory last month following a 41-19 defeat to Bordeaux-Bègles in Bilbao, Leo Cullen’s side will be desperate to end the season on a high by securing a second consecutive URC title and a 10th championship across all formats of the Celtic League.
Last week, record try-scorer James Lowe confirmed he will leave the province at the end of the campaign after nine years in Irish rugby. This follows the news at the end of last year that Ciaran Frawley will join Connacht this summer after making more than 100 appearances for the ‘boys in blue’.
Those departures could add an extra layer of motivation within a squad that will be desperate to draw a line under another campaign in which European success once again eluded them.
It will, meanwhile, be a fourth final in five years for the Pretoria-based Bulls, who have finished runners-up on each previous occasion. They lost to the Stormers in 2022, Glasgow Warriors in 2024, and Leinster 12 months ago.
So, how did both teams reach the final and what can we expect when they meet again this weekend?
Bulls stun Glasgow in comeback at Murrayfield
The Bulls ensured Glasgow Warriors ended their season without silverware after battling back to secure a dramatic 22-21 victory at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in the semi-final on June 6th.
Despite Handré Pollard missing 11 points from the kicking tee, Johan Ackermann’s side showed impressive resilience to claim victory and book their place in another final.
Yet it was Glasgow who made the stronger start and raced into a 21-3 lead midway through the first half, failing to fully capitalise on a yellow-card period for Bulls lock Ruan Nortjé.
The Warriors looked every bit the side that had finished top of the regular-season table, but momentum shifted before the interval as the Bulls turned to their power game. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar scored from close range to reduce the deficit.
The South Africans kept the ball tight for much of the second half, leaning on their forward dominance and the influence of scrum-half Embrose Papier, who scored his 12th try of the season.
When prop François Klopper powered over in the 53rd minute, the gap was down to a single point after another missed Pollard conversion. Glasgow were unable to respond, undone by handling errors and missed opportunities at key moments.
Instead, the Bulls imposed themselves physically, particularly at scrum time and in the collisions. Grobbelaar led the defensive effort with 16 tackles, while Cameron Hanekom once again underlined his growing reputation.
The No 8 beat seven defenders from just eight carries, made 12 tackles, and won two turnovers, matching Grobbelaar’s breakdown impact.
A place in the final caps an eventful first season under former Gloucester boss Ackermann. The Bulls began strongly, winning three of their opening four league fixtures, before a difficult mid-season spell saw them lose seven straight games, including three in the Champions Cup - two of which came away at Northampton Saints and at home to Bristol Bears.
Their response was strong, finishing the regular season with four try bonus points from their final five matches to secure fourth place.
If they are to avoid a repeat of last season’s 32-7 final defeat, the Bulls will need their set-piece to remain dominant while maintaining the attacking ambition that made them the competition’s most prolific side.
They finished the URC season as the leading scorers with 633 points and 91 tries.
Leinster hold on against Stormers
With Glasgow out of the picture, Leinster knew victory over the Stormers would secure a home final.
They made the perfect start when Rieko Ioane crossed after sustained pressure, with Sam Prendergast adding the conversion and two further first-half penalties.
There was little glamour to the performance, but Leinster were controlled and efficient in their 20-11 victory. They defended key moments well and showed just enough cutting edge to stay ahead, before Jamison Gibson-Park’s late score removed any lingering doubt.
One of the defining moments came when Hugo Keenan tracked back to stop a Stormers breakaway from scrum-half Imad Khan midway through the second half.
The influence of French prop Rabah Slimani was also important, as he helped stabilise the scrum and won a turnover from a rolling maul.
It was a performance led by captain Caelan Doris, who topped the carrying charts with 22 carries and also led the tackle count with 10.
Following their semi-final win, Doris also referenced the broader context of Leinster’s season, mentioning that the group’s motivation has been shaped by players departing at the end of the campaign.
However, the Leinster skipper and hooker Dan Sheehan are both injury doubts ahead of Friday's final, while prop Andrew Porter has been ruled out after he was forced off in the first half of the semi-final win over the Stormers.
Missing key personnel in the pack may harm Leinster given the physical challenge posed by the Bulls, but Leo Cullen's side should still enter as favourites on home soil.
There will be a lot of pressure in hosting a home final, but there would be a lot of questions if a side with the resources and quality of Leinster were to fall short again on Friday night.
