2025 United Rugby Championship Grand Final

The 2025 United Rugby Championship Grand Final was the final match of the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship (URC) season. It was contested at Croke Park, Dublin by Ireland's Leinster, with home field advantage, and the visiting Bulls from Pretoria, South Africa^[1]. It was the third successive cross-continental final in the competition.

The final was held in Ireland for the first time since 2021 and the reconfiguration of the United Rugby Championship, with a third appearance for the Bulls following their defeats in 2022 and 2024, and a first appearance for Leinster since the competition adopted its current format, but a record 11th final appearance in total (winning in 2002, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and losing in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016) ^[2]. Bulls have previously appeared in, and won, three finals (2007, 2009 and 2010) in the Super Rugby competition, and lost in the final of the transitional season Pro14 Rainbow Cup.^[3]

For the first time in this format, the top-seeded team at the start of the play-offs has reached the final. Neither side has yet won the United Rugby Championship in its current format, but Leinster attempted to win a record-extending ninth overall title in all formats of the competition; the Bulls attempted to win their first title in this competition in their third final, to go with their three Super Rugby titles, and one Super Rugby Unlocked title won prior to 2021.

Leinster and Bulls have met six times in the United Rugby Championship since 2021 with Bulls leading the rivalry four games to two. Bulls have won both previous play-off matches between the sides, the semi-finals in 2022 and 2024. Bulls also won the solitary regular season match between the teams this year by a single point.

Previous meetings between Leinster and Bulls in the United Rugby Championship^[4]

Matches in yellow in URC Playoffs

With Leinster reaching the final from the first seeding, they maintained home advantage throughout the playoffs and elected to play the final in Croke Park, Dublin^[5], having already played one URC fixture (against Munster) and one European Champions Cup fixture there this season^[6]. Although this will be tenth final played in a Dublin stadium in the entire history of the competition, the final will come to Croke Park for the first time.

Leinster have a perfect competitive record at the ground, winning four times in four visits. This will be the first visit of a South African club side to the venue; the Springboks lost to Ireland in the only previous rugby union match involving both nations at the stadium^[5].

For the first time since it became the United Rugby Championship, the highest seeded team made the final, and faced the second seed, as all six knockout matches were won by the team with home advantage. Leinster hosted the Bulls in Croke Park, the first URC final to be held outside South Africa, and the first appearance of Leinster in a final since the format began. Bulls reached a record third final. Both teams needed their first URC title, although it would be Leinster's ninth total championship in all formats of the competition. and their twelfth play-off Grand Final. This final was the first between the two teams.

In their previous meeting this season, in Round 13, Bulls inflicted the first defeat of the season across all competitions on Leinster, 21-20 in Pretoria. In all previous URC meetings going back to 2021, Bulls lead Leinster four wins to two, including both previous play-off meetings.

In the final, Leinster proved much too strong for the Bulls in wet conditions, racing to a 19-0 lead at half time. A Bulls try early in the second half briefly raised hopes of a comeback, but Leinster saw out a dominant win with a further try and two penalties, confirming a 32–7 win for their nineth championship in total. The Bulls were consigned to a third URC final defeat in four years.

Both teams were announced on the morning of June 12 2025. Both teams opted for a five-three split on the bench (five forwards, three backs as replacements)^[8]. Jake White made one change to the Bulls team to face Leinster, with Marco van Staden replacing the injured Cameron Hanekom. Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose return for Leinster, but Hugo Keenan and Tadgh Furlong fail to recover from previous injuries, while Leinster club captain Caelan Doris is a long term injury absentee. Jack Conan deputises as captain. The final will also be All Black Jordie Barrett's final game for Leinster before returning to New Zealand.

On the morning of the final, Leinster's first choice scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out by late injury. Luke McGrath came into the starting XV, with Fintan Gunne coming onto the bench.

The match was shown live by SuperSport in South Africa, by Premier Sports in the United Kingdom and by TG4 in Ireland. Flo Rugby & URC.tv carried coverage elsewhere^[10].