Read more
Jake White's Pretoria-based team are now playing in their third URC final in four seasons.
Bulls stars Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield and Gary Botha celebrate the team’s first major international trophy victory, in Super Rugby, in 2007. Picture: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images
The Bulls from Pretoria are regarded South Africa’s most successful local rugby team, having captured 25 Currie Cup titles and three Super Rugby trophies.
On Saturday at Croke Park in Dublin they will be chasing their first United Rugby Championship title when they clash with Leinster. They have played in two previous finals of the URC, in the 2021/22 season and 2023/24 season, but lost to the Stormers and Glasgow respectively.
Leinster will play in their first URC final, having won eight previous titles, when the competition was known by other names and didn’t include the four South African teams.
In international club and franchise finals, no South African team has performed better than the Bulls. Here is a brief history of the Pretoria-based side’s five previous international finals.
Super Rugby final 2007
The Bulls had to travel to Durban to face the Sharks in the first all-South African final, and the first to be played in South Africa.
Both teams were stacked with 2007 World Cup-winning Springboks, with the Sharks led by John Smit and the Bulls by Victor Matfield.
Some interesting team news is that Johan Ackermann played lock for the Sharks, while Bob Skinstad was on the bench. Also, every player, except for flanker Jacques Botes, in the Sharks’ 22 played Test rugby.
Both teams scored two tries, the Bulls’ second try coming in the 82nd minute when Bryan Habana broke through the Sharks’ defence to score what would prove to be the winner, with Derick Hougaard kicking the conversion to make it 20-19 to the Bulls.
Super Rugby final 2009
Two years after winning their first Super Rugby title, the Bulls were at it again, but this time on home soil against the Chiefs from Hamilton, New Zealand, who they hammered 61-17.
The Bulls finished top of the table after the round robin phase and like two years prior, beat the mighty Crusaders in the semifinals.
While the Chiefs scored first in the match, the Bulls led 34-7 at halftime. In total, the Bulls scored eight tries to the Chiefs’ two. Morne Steyn had taken over from Derick Hougaard as the team’s No 10 and kicker and he contributed five conversions, two penalties and drop-goal.
Only hooker Derick Kuhn of the Bulls’ starting XV was not a Springbok player. The team was coached by Frans Ludeke, who’d taken over from Heyneke Meyer after the 2007 final.
Super Rugby final 2010
The Bulls went back-to-back in 2010, and though the final was a home game for them, they didn’t play at Loftus Versfeld, but at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, because of the 2010 Football World Cup taking place in South Africa that June.
The Bulls hosted the Stormers in the second all-South African final and won 25-17.
The Bulls and Stormers finished first and second respectively on the points table, with the Pretoria-based team beating the Crusaders for a third time in the semifinals, 39-24.
Francois Hougaard, selected on the wing, scored a first half try for the Bulls, followed by second half tries by Bryan Habana and Francois Louw for the Stormers. The Bulls’ Morne Steyn though kicked six penalties for his team.
In interesting selections, Brok Harris, who’s just recently retired, started at tighthead prop for the Stormers, while Deon Fourie was the hooker replacement on the bench.
URC final 2021/22
In the very first season of the new United Rugby Championship, which included four South African teams, the top of the table Stormers hosted the Bulls in the final at the Cape Town Stadium.
In a thrilling, tight match, the Stormers won 18-13, getting their revenge for the Super Rugby final loss suffered in Orlando in 2010.
While Harold Vorster scored an early try for the Bulls, the Stormers hit back with tries by Evan Roos and Andre-Hugo Venter, while Manie Libbok kicked a conversion, penalty and drop-goal.
Deon Fourie was picked at openside flank for the Stormers, while Brok Harris filled a spot on the bench. There was also a place among the replacements for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The late Cornal Hendricks started at outside centre for the Bulls while Kurt-Lee Arendse wore the No 15 jersey with the wings Madosh Tambwe and Canan Moodie. Morne Steyn played off the bench.
URC final 2023/24
Jake White’s Bulls qualified for their second URC final in three seasons but this time, thanks to their second-place finish on the log and Munster losing in the semifinals, they’d play at home, against Glasgow Warriors from Scotland.
Glasgow, coached by South African Franco Smith, shocked friend and foe, as they triumphed 21-16, coming back from being 13-0 down just before half-time.
Marco van Staden scored a first half try for the Bulls, with Johan Goosen adding the other points with his boot. But three second half tries by Glasgow, all converted, silenced the Bulls, their coach and all their fans.
The victory was the second in the competition for Glasgow, the Scottish side having also won in 2015 when the URC was known as the Pro12 and didn’t include the SA teams.
The Bulls’ match-23 that will feature in Saturday’s final against Leinster in Dublin includes 13 players who featured in the final a year ago.
