DUBLIN, Ireland – Leinster retained their United Rugby Championship title with a commanding 36-7 victory over the Bulls at Croke Park on Friday, marking the fourth final defeat for the South African side in five years.
According to Die Papier, the match was nearly identical to last year’s final at the same venue, where the Bulls lost 32-7. This time, a disastrous first-half display saw Leinster race to a 22-0 lead by the break, leaving the Pretoria-based side with an insurmountable deficit.
The Bulls’ troubles began in the second minute when Canan Moodie received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-down, reports Kickoff. Despite being a man down, the Bulls’ defence initially held firm, but Leinster’s Tommy O’Brien scored a converted try in the seventh minute after hacking ahead a loose ball.
Rieko Ioane extended Leinster’s lead to 12-0 with an unconverted try in the 15th minute following a quick throw that caught the Bulls cold. The visitors’ discipline problems continued when Willie le Roux was binned in the 25th minute for another deliberate knock-down.
Leinster capitalised immediately, with Jack Conan forcing his way over from close range. Fly-half Sam Prendergast, who was named player of the match, converted to make it 19-0 before adding a penalty in the 31st minute.
The Irish side employed their familiar strategy of scoring quickly before smothering their opposition as the match progressed. Prendergast extended the lead to 29-0 early in the second half with a sniped try.
The Bulls finally registered their first points in the 62nd minute when Moodie cut through the flyhalf channel for a converted try. However, two potential scores were controversially ruled out by the TMO. Harold Vorster appeared to have grounded the ball in the 55th minute but was judged held up, whilst Ruan Nortjé’s try in the 67th minute was disallowed for a forward pass, despite the ball appearing to leave the hands backwards.
Harry Byrne’s try two minutes from the end sealed Leinster’s back-to-back URC titles, leaving the Bulls to contemplate another final defeat after 151 matches this season.
