Victor Matfield gives Bulls the blueprint to upset Leinster in URC Final
SPOTLIGHT: The Bulls will need to take advantage of their biggest weapon if they want to knock over Leinster in Friday’s United Rugby Championship Final.
That’s the message from Springbok legend and former Bulls stalwart Victor Matfield, who knows a thing or two about winning big Finals.
Matfield never tasted defeat in three Super Rugby Finals with the Bulls in his playing days. It’s the exact opposite with the current generation, as they have lost three finals in the URC era.
Their last defeat in the showpiece event was against Leinster at the same venue last year.
For the Bulls to come out on top this time around, Matfield believes they need to focus more on their traditional strengths.
The story continues below…
“I haven’t looked that much into the past games [Finals]. The one that they probably should’ve won is against Glasgow, where they had a great lead,” said Matfield, referring to the 2024 Final at Loftus Versfeld, where the Bulls suffered a 16-21 defeat.
“I thought last week against Glasgow in the semifinal, they had the upper hand with the pack of forwards, and then between the two ten-metre lines, they went with two four-man line-outs off the top and there were two turnovers and two tries against them.
“I just feel they can be a little bit more conservative, especially if they’ve got the upper hand with the forwards.
“We haven’t seen them use the maul in the middle of the field. I think you are not going to beat Leinster at their own game – they are just too good at it.
“We need to play the power-strangle game, but we do have the outside backs from turnovers and from bad kicks to hurt them from the back as well.
“I would like the Bulls to really use their pack and use their dominance up front and use their physicality.”
The story continues below…
Match-ups don’t get much bigger… 🤩🥊
#BKTURC | #LEIvBUL pic.twitter.com/azhpBcs488— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) June 15, 2026
Matfield believes the stigma of losing three finals will be offset by the new coaching team and the new environment Johan Ackermann has created.
“I think a lot of the time when you change coaches, it’s a bit different because he [Ackermann] looks at it completely differently than the previous coach,” Matfield explained.
“I think if they had the same coach, it might’ve been a bigger problem.
“When you get new coaches and a new environment, it’s a new way of thinking and looking at things, and it [stigma] doesn’t have that big of an influence.
“Of course, you always need to learn about past experiences. As a player, those are the big things, especially when you lose, you see certain things that you can do better.
“There are also certain things that happen in a game that you can take from the other team and put into your thinking.
“When there are changes to coaching staff and the environment, that stigma about not winning a Final won’t have such a big role.”
@rugby365com
Register your interest to receive priority updates on RWC27 ticket releases. Don't miss out, stay in the loop!
