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Leinster vs Bulls Predictions - Leinster to prevail against the Bulls in the URC final

Brad Newcomb

Editor

Last updated: 17 Jun 2026

Brad Newcomb 17 Jun 2026

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Leinster defeated the Bulls by 25 points in the last season's final.
Bulls have struggled in recent Dublin encounters vs Leinster.
Prediction: Leinster to cover the -5.5 handicap in the URC final.

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Leinster defeated the Bulls in last season's URC final (Getty Images)

Leinster defeated the Bulls in last year's URC final, and they have a proven track record when playing on home soil. The Bulls have performed well during the latter stages of their season, but they have not had their way against Leinster in Dublin over the years.

Leinster have won 9 consecutive home fixtures (URC).
Leinster have won 3 of their last 4 home games against the Bulls.
Bulls lost to Leinster by 25 points in last season's URC final.

Head to Head

The Bulls have a slight edge over Leinster, with five victories to three in eight meetings.

Leinster defeated the Bulls 32-7 at Croke Park, Dublin, in the URC final last season.

Leinster Form

Leinster faced the DHL Stormers in the United Rugby Championship semi-final recently, winning 20-11 at home after leading 13-8 at the break.

Before that, the team from Dublin thrashed the Lions 59-10 at home in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The nine-time URC champions have been in excellent form at home in the league during the regular season. They defeated the Sharks 31-5, lost 31-14 to Munster, and then beat Zebre 50-26, Munster 24-20, Connacht 52-17, Edinburgh 28-20, the Scarlets 36-19, the Lions 31-7, and the Ospreys 68-14.

Defending champions Leinster may not be playing at the Aviva Stadium in their last match of the season; however, they will face the Bulls at Croke Park in Dublin in the final for the second consecutive year, and will be aiming for a repeat performance against the South African team.

Bulls Form

The Bulls produced a solid second-half display in their URC semi-final match against the Glasgow Warriors recently, winning 22-21 away from home after trailing 21-10 at half-time.

Before that performance, the Pretoria-based side hosted Munster in the quarter-finals, winning 45-14.

Johan Ackermann's team have had some success on the road in the league this season. They lost 28-7 to Ulster, edged Connacht 28-27, lost 21-12 to the Glasgow Warriors, 21-12 to the Sharks, and 13-8 to the Stormers before beating Edinburgh 19-17, the Lions 52-17, the Dragons 47-7, and the Scarlets 23-21.

The Bulls will be out for redemption after falling at the final hurdle in the United Rugby Championship last year against Leinster; however, they have struggled to beat their opponents in Dublin, losing 31-3 in 2021, 47-14 in 2024, and 32-7 in 2025, with their only victory being a 27-26 win in 2022.

Team News

Leinster

Leinster Rugby Head Coach Leo Cullen has made changes to his side for the United Rugby Championship final after their recent win over the Stormers.

Leinster captain Caelan Doris has returned from a knee injury, Tadhg Furlong comes in at tight-head prop, while Jerry Cahir has replaced the injured Andrew Porter at loose-head.

Tommy O'Brien returns on the right wing, and hooker Dan Sheehan is on the bench after missing the semi-final.

Starting XV: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O'Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jerry Cahir, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt)

Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Diarmuid Mangan, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Garry Ringrose

Bulls

Head coach Johan Ackermann has kept an unchanged side to face Leinster in the URC final.

Starting XV: Willie le Roux; Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs; Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier; Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Francois Klopper, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortje, Marcell Coetzee (capt), Elrigh Louw, Cameron Hanekom

Replacements: Marco van Staden, Jan‑Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Jeandre Rudolph, Zak Burger, Stedman Gans, Nizaam Carr

Verdict

Leinster v Bulls

Leinster have achieved excellent results against the Bulls in Dublin and are tipped to cover the -5.5 handicap in the 2026 URC final.

Leinster -5.5

Handicap

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Brad graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bcom-Management Accounting degree and has a financial background.

His love of sport has seen him venture down the road of researching sporting history for the past several years, specifically boxing, cricket and football.

Other sports of particular interest are golf, tennis, horse racing and motorsports.

Additionally, he spends his time researching the military history of his home country of South Africa.

He is an ardent Liverpool supporter and is known to DJ and release music on occasion.