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Leinster vs Bulls URC Grand Final preview

Jonny BlackJonny Black
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Leinster vs Bulls URC Grand Final preview
Home teamLeinster 
Away teamBulls
VenueCroke Park
CompetitionURC Final
Kick off time7:30 pm (UK and Ireland)
Watch Live in the UKPremier Sports

Leinster vs Bulls URC Grand Final preview as the sides meet at Croke Park.

Leinster come into the final after a win over South African opposition against the Stormers in the semi-final. 

The Bulls come to the final after an impressive away win against the Glasgow Warriors in the semi-final. 

Leinster finished second in the regular season table with 63 points, while the Bulls finished in fourth, just four points behind their final opponents on 59 points.

This is a repeat of the 2025 final, where Leinster came out on top. Of the four finals since South African teams became involved, the Bulls have been in three of them, losing all three.

Read more match previews for all your rugby action here

Leinster vs Bulls lineups tbc

LeinsterBulls
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Recent Form:

Leinster (Home team): 

ResultDateCompetitionOpponentScore
Won6th June 2026URC PlayoffsStormers20-11
Won30th May 2026URC PlayoffsLions59-10
Loss23rd May 2026Champions Cup FinalBordeaux Begles19-41
Won16th May 2026URCOspreys68-14
Won9th May 2026URCLions31-7

Leinster have won five of their last six games, with their only defeat coming against Bordeaux Begles in the Champions Cup final. In the quarter-final and semi-final, they defeated South African opposition at the Aviva Stadium. In the last round, they defeated the Stormers 20-11. Leinster came out flying and got to a 13-0 lead within the first 24 minutes. Sam Prendergast scored eight of those points from the tee. The Stormers scored just before halftime, and scored a penalty to bring it to a 13-11 scoreline. With just over 10 minutes to go Ruan Ackermann was sent off for a shoulder charge to the head in a ruck. Gibson-Park took advantage a minute later and scored to seal the game 20-11. 

Bulls (Away team): 

ResultDateCompetitionOpponentScore
Won6th June 2026URC PlayoffsGlasgow Warriors21-22
Won30th May 2026URC PlayoffsMunster45-14
Won16th May 2026URCBenetton45-19
Won9th May 2026URCZebre54-19
Won25th April 2026URCScarlets21-23

The Bulls have won their last eight URC games in a row, and in that run, they have only lost to Glasgow, whom they were able to beat 22-21 away in the URC semi-final. After 25 minutes, they found themselves 21-3 down. For the remainder of the match, they limited the Glasgow Warriors so they didn’t score a point. The South Africans would score three tries with Handre Pollard kicking two of the conversions to put them one point ahead with 25 minutes to go. The Bulls were able to hold out for the remainder of the match. 

Leinster vs Bulls head-to-head record (last five matches):

DateCompetitionWinnerScore
4th October 2025URCBulls39-31
14th June 2025URC FinalLeinster32-7
22nd March 2025URCBulls21-20
15th June 2024URCBulls25-20
29th March 2024URCLeinster47-14

These teams have met eight times since the South African sides joined European competitions. The Bulls have won five of these games, including the 2024 semi-final. They also won the semi-final in 2022, which was the only time either side has won away from home. Leinster put in a dominant display last year in the final, winning 32-7, scoring four tries and only conceding one.

Jonny is a former rugby player in Ireland's club system and is an Ulster and Ireland fan. He has spent a number of years writing about football and this was what brought him to the Dave Sport Group. As an expert in Irish Rugby, his expertise also stretches to Super Rugby having lived in New Zealand previously.

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