Leinster v Bulls: Tale of the tape

SPOTLIGHT: Ahead of the historic meeting of Leinster and the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship Final at Dublin’s Croke Park, we take a look at the stats and facts that create intriguing storylines around these two incredible teams.

URC History

* A new winner of the URC will be crowned.
* Fourth different winner in four seasons.
* It is the first URC final outside of South Africa.
* It is the third cross-hemisphere Final in a row.

Croke Park

* It is the first-ever Rugby Union Final to be played at the home of GAA.
* 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 10-15 to Ireland in November 2009.

Leinster

* They are a 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.
* RG Snyman was voted URC Player’s Player of the Season.
* They 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 six; won two; lost four; Scored 151 points; Conceded 138 points.

Bulls

* They have beaten Leinster twice in the URC semifinals in (2022 and 2024).
* South Africa’s most successful team – winning three Super Rugby titles and 25 Currie Cups.
* They have lost two URC Finals (2022 v Stormers and 2024 v Glasgow Warriors).
* Star Players: Double World Cup winner Willie Le Roux, Canan Moodie, Marcell Coetzee, Cameron Hanekom.
* Cameron Hanekom recently won the URC’s Next-Gen Player of the Season award 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 six; won four; lost two; scored 138 points; conceded 151 points.