Emphatic Leinster display delivers URC silverware as Bulls put to the sword at Croke Park
URC Grand Final: Leinster 32 Bulls 7
Redemption of a sort at last. Regrets, they'll have a few this off-season, but
Leinster
are champions again. Maybe it's not the title they most crave, but their first
URC
title per se is by some distance the pick of their nine successes in this competition's many iterations.
What's more, having topped the table by eight clear points with 16 wins out of 18, and then negotiated two more knock-out ties, Leinster underlined the worthiness of this success by emphatically beating a South African superpower. Rarely have champions been so indisputable.
In the process they exorcised a few demons and finished the season on what should be a hugely satisfying note. They and their supporters had the pleasure of doing so in front of a 46,127 crowd at Croke Park, the biggest attendance for an Irish final by eclipsing the 2018 decider when Leinster beat the Scarlets and last lifted silverware in front of a real, live, breathing, cheering home crowd.
Leinster did so not just be reaffirming they have a more complete game than a Bulls team which they made look quite blunt with the intensity of their line speed and tackling on what was an important day in the Jacques Nienaber experiment.
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They also dominated the air thanks to the brilliantly varied kicking game of Sam Prendergast, who gave another example of his mental strength as well as technical ability with a performance which had fire in his belly and ice in his veins. Luke McGrath, a late call-up, and James Lowe contributed to this varied kicking game, as did the chasing and competitiveness of Tommy O'Brien.
The Lions such as Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan delivered handsomely, and so too in his typically influential all-round final outing did Jordie Barrett, and the bench had much the better impact, especially Rónan Kelleher, Rabah Slimani and RG Snyman.
Josh van der Flier celebrates scoring Leinster's third try during the BKT United Rugby Championship Grand Final against the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
But once again huge energy came from the others, not least Ryan Baird in his sixth 80-minute effort in a row since that Northampton heartbreak, full of oomph in his carries and his defence, as well as ultra reliable at lineout time.
'It's been a long time coming,' he told the crowd afterwards when admitting to being nervous all week.
The Leinster scrum also took on the Bulls' point of difference and actually emerged in credit. This was a very complete victory which ought to quieten idle talk about Leinster's big-match mentality.
Rumours had been rife in the couple of days before this game that some of Leinster's 10 named Lions would not make the kick-off, so it was not entirely surprising that Jamison Gibson-Park was confirmed as a late withdrawal. The other nine were fit and present, including eight starters, and McGrath is not exactly a green horn.
Most likely McGrath had been running at 9 for much of the week's training anyway and however little others carrying knocks were able to do, Leinster exploded from the blocks.
There was an expectant roar for the game's first scrum and an even bigger one when the Leinster pack gained the game's first penalty to earn an initial territorial foothold in what was a declaration of intent.
Leinster's Tommy O'Brien challenges for the ball with Sebastian De Klerk of the Bulls at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
When another penalty to the corner ensued and Sheehan hit Baird for a third time at the front in their opening three lineouts, the maul was held up. But Sheehan peeled off tellingly and Tommy O'Brien's decisive clearout paved the path for Conan to plough through one tackle and score.
Also aware of the goalkicking and defensive issues which Prendergast brought into the game, there were roars after he executed a difficult conversion and then led the line to make his tackle on Harold Vorster.
Leinster's defence and aerial game continued to win all the 50-50 moments. After Vorster needlessly conceded a penalty for pushing his hand into the face of a prone Joe McCarthy, Tommy O'Brien reclaimed McGrath's box kick and then Barrett made the call, and was already moving, when the scrumhalf chipped into space.
Barrett then cleverly volleyed the bouncing ball first time over Willie le Roux and Tommy O'Brien permitted the departing All Black to win the touchdown for his seventh try in 15 games. Prendergast converted again to make it 14-0 inside 14 minutes.
Josh van der Flier was making his presence felt everywhere, notably when driving back Jan-Hendrik Wessels and with another scrum penalty advantage, Prendergast spiralled a majestic 50-22 when playing with house money.
Le Roux, who would have an abject day, riskily tried a cross-kick inside his own 22 and was fortunate to see Lowe knock on. Cue another bout of aerial ping-pong which Leinster again won, as Jimmy O'Brien countered. Leinster probed the blindside off the recycle, Conan making the carry and offload before Tommy O'Brien transferred quickly for Sheehan to make inroads along the touchline in his inimitable style.
Leinster's Dan Sheehan fends off the challenge of Embrose Papier of the Bulls. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Somehow Marcell Coetzee was not yelled-carded when then coming in from the side to take out Tommy O'Brien but the penalty was tapped into the corner, Shehan hit McCarthy at the tail and Van der Flier emerged from the maul to score untouched.
Prendergast missed that touchline conversion and two more attacks ended when he opted to kick before touch judge Mike Adamson appeared to miss Le Roux putting his standing foot on the touchline in his own 22. This effectively led to a Bulls attacking lineout when their fullback found grass to finally win an aerial duel.
There followed two prolonged, close-range, multiphase Bulls attacks. But Van der Flier set the tone for the first with a chop tackle on Coetzee off a five-metre scrum, and Baird did likewise for the second when driving back the Bulls' number eight after a lineout drive five metres out.
That attack and the first half ended with Le Roux floating a pass forward intended for Johan Grobbelaar on the edge, prompting an animated Prendergast to smack hands with a plethora of team-mates, while Baird cupped his ear to the crowd as Leinster jogged to the dressingroom 19-0 ahead, whereas the Bulls trudged off.
On the resumption, more effective work off the ball by Barrett led to a penalty which Prendergast landed before the Bulls' blunt attack eventually delivered in the 51st minute. A scrum penalty to the corner led to replacement hooker Aker van der Merwe scoring off a close-range lineout.
Johan Goosen converted and another scrum penalty seemed to confirm the momentum swing but Snyman's counter-ruck and Leinster's fringe line speed forced a turnover and with a scrum penalty advantage, both Prendergast and Snyman made inroads.
Fintan Gunne scores a try despite the attempt of Willie le Roux to stop him. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
The introduction of Kelleher and Slimani, soon after Snyman, proved telling, another scrum penalty leading to two close-range assaults on the Bulls' line. But two knock-ons, the first by Snyman, were compounded by Prendergast missing a kickable penalty.
Even so, after Tommy O'Brien restored Leinster's aerial supremacy – alas Sebastian de Klerk injured his knee in the duel – with a strong power play off a lineout, Prendergast atoned to make it 25-7 before he and McGrath were replaced by Fintan Gunne and the departing Ross Byrne.
Confirmation that this most definitely not Le Roux's day came with an unforced knock-on outside his own 22, prompting cheers when the double World Cup winner then irately kicked the ball off the pitch.
To add to his frustration, from the ensuing scrum Gunne looped around a three-man attacking pod and took the expertly timed pull back from Byrne to beat Zak Burger on his outside and take Le Roux's tackle to score a fine try. That sealed the deal and there were also appreciative cheers when, fittingly, Byrne landed the conversion.
The fans could breath a little easier and start the 'Lein-ster' chants, and soon after Conan – with a little help from the tracksuited duo of Caelan Doris and Cian Healy – could lift the trophy.
At last. Cue a raucous lap of honour and party time.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins:
Conan try, Prendergast con 7-0;
14:
Barrett try, Prendergast con 14-0;
22:
van der Flier 19-0; (
half-time 19-0
);
44:
Prendergast pen 22-0;
51:
Van der Merwe try, Goosen con 22-7;
68:
Prendergast pen 25-7;
73:
Gunne try, Byrne con 32-7.
LEINSTER:
Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).
Replacements:
RG Snyman for Ryan (42 mins); Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, Rabah Slimani for Clarkson (both 56); Fintan Gunne for McGrath, Ross Byrne for Prendergast (both 69), Jack Boyle for Porter, Max Deegan for Conan, Jamie Osborne for Ringrose (all 74).
BULLS:
Willie le Roux; Canon Moodie, David Kriel, Harold Vorster, Sebastian de Klerk; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Cobus Wiese, JF van Heerden; Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje (capt), Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements:
Jannes Kirsten for Wiese (36 mins); Akker van der Merwe for Grobbelaar (45); Alulutho Tshakweni for Wessels (52); Mornay Smith for Louw, Nizaam Carr for Coetzee (both 65); Devon Williams for de Klerk (66), Keagan Johannes for Goosen (68), Zak Burger for Papier (71).
Referee:
Andrea Piardi (FIR).
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