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This is the fourth final since the competition became a 16-team event, including the four South African teams.
Bulls captain Ruan Nortje and Leinster leader Jack Conan pose with the trophy ahead of the URC final this Saturday. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Ireland’s Leinster and South Africa’s Bulls clash in the United Rugby Championship final in Dublin on Saturday at 6pm.
It is Leinster’s first appearance in the final since the South African teams joined the competition four seasons ago, while the Bulls will feature in their third final. Neither side has won the title since becoming a 16-team competition in the 2021/22 season.
Here then are some of the key storylines about this year’s final.
URC history
• A new winner of the URC will be crowned, following title victories by the Stormers, Munster and Glasgow
• This will be the fourth different winner in four seasons
• Saturday’s match in Dublin will be the first URC final outside of South Africa; the others having taken place in Cape Town (twice) and Pretoria
• The match will be the third cross-hemisphere finale in a row — Stormers v Munster and Bulls v Glasgow the previous cross-hemisphere finals
Croke Park
• The meeting between Leinster and the Bulls will be the first-ever rugby final to be played at the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in Dublin
• Leinster have never lost a game at Croke Park (four wins from four)
• The Springboks are the only South African team to ever play at Croke Park, losing 15-10 to Ireland in a Test match in November 2009
Leinster
• Record eight-time league winners but have not won a title in the URC era
• Leinster last lifted a trophy in front of their home fans when they won the league in 2018 defeating Scarlets in the PRO14 final
• Lock RG Snyman (of South Africa and the Springboks) has been voted URC Player’s Player of the Season
• Have a record 12 players selected for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia
• Two players voted into the URC “Elite XV” team of the season: RG Snyman and Jamie Osbourne
• Record v Bulls: Played 6; Won 2; Lost 4; Scored 151; Conceded 152
Bulls
• Have beaten Leinster twice in URC semi-finals in 2022 and 2024
• South Africa’s most successful franchise team winning three Super Rugby titles and 25 Currie Cups
• Have lost two URC Grand Finals (2022 v Stormers and 2024 v Glasgow Warriors)
• Star players include double World Cup winner Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Marcell Coetzee, Cameron Hanekom, Wilco Louw and Ruan Nortje
• Cameron Hanekom recently won the URC’s Next-Gen Player of the Season award but is now injured and misses the game
• Three players voted into the URC “Elite XV” team of the season: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Cameron Hanekom
• Record v Leinster: Played 6; Won 4; Lost 2; Scored 152; Conceded 151
