A new United Rugby Championship (URC) winner will be crowned, and the Bulls will look to bag the title for the first time in their third time attempt when they take on Leinster in Dublin on Saturday evening.
The Pretoria side have shown great resilience and had some excellent home and away games throughout the season, making their case as strong contenders for the crown at Croke Park (6 pm start) in the Irish capital.
Their pack of forwards, led by some strong front rankers with a knack for dominating the scrums, has been instrumental in turning crucial moments into game-winning opportunities and they will rely heavily on them again.
Props Wilco Louw and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, alongside hooker Johan Grobbelaar, have been destroying scrums almost at will, and they will be crucial in the set piece from the first scrum. The dominance at scrum time could lay the platform for their backs to get into the game.
They have a balanced attack, coupled with brilliant physicality and strong defense, which overpowered some of the competition’s top teams en route to the final.
Their backline also possesses speed and creativity, with the likes of fullback Willie le Roux, winger Canan Moodie and scrumhalf Embrose Papier allowing them to exploit space and conjure up swift counter-attacks when needed.
Their adaptability against different opposition has been a trademark of their campaign. All they must do to put Leinster to bed is sort out their discipline. They can’t afford even one yellow card against the Irish giants because they will be punished if they leave space on the field.
After a strong season, the Bulls enter the final not just as challengers but with the belief and capability to outmatch Leinster in Dublin. If they can replicate their peak performances of this past season and seize the momentum early, their dream of clinching the URC title for the first time in a third attempt could turn into reality.
