Leinster 22 Bulls 0
45 mins: Tenacious tackling by Leinster knock Bulls back five metres, and maybe the momentum draining from that, the Bulls knock it on again. Prendergast kicks it high, Ringrose catches brilliantly and Leinster within a few metres.
42 mins: Better play from Pollard at the start of the second half, finding the winger with a great crossfield pass but Prendergast makes a good tackle on Jacobs and then Nortje drops the ball.
40 mins: O’Brien is back on his feet, but Garry Ringrose comes in with Ioane going to the wing, O’Brien limps off. Bulls win a penalty for contact in the air, Pollard kicks horrendously though out of play when trying to kick to the corner. For a player who has decided World Cup finals, he’s had a shocker today.
Half-time: Leinster 22 Bulls 0
Great performance by Leinster, authoritative and not lacking in flair either. The Bulls just haven’t shown up though, a yellow card within two minutes and it didn’t get much better than that. Injuries to O’Brien and Doris though will be a concern for Andy Farrell watching on.
39 mins: Gibson-Park plays a clever kick over the top and O’Brien can’t get to it but Pollard completely misses catching the ball and gives away another knock-on. Another injury concern though for Leinster and Ireland as Tommy O’Brien looks in pain and may need to be taken off.
37 mins: Leinster conceded a penalty and the Premier Sports co-commentator said “they will score here”. They did not, a very underwhelming attack and Moodie drops the ball under pressure from the tackle and Leinster escape again.
31 mins: Prendergast runs 15 metres after a pass from Osborne and he kicks it low and switches it from one half to the other. From the lineout though, Gibson-Park knocks it on. From the scrum, Leinster win a penalty and they kick and go. Bulls then give away another penalty, they’re all over the place at the moment.
Penalty scored by Leinster! Prendergast taps over the posts.
Leinster 22 Bulls 0
28 mins: Try for Leinster! Conan gets Leinster’s third try. With every carry Leinster were easing towards the line and Conan is initially stopped but reached out and taps it down. Converted by Prendergast.
Leinster 19 Bulls 0
25 mins: From the restart, Prendergast kicks to the air and Keenan fields beautifully like a full forward on All-Ireland final day. They win a penalty and a few quick passes and Bulls get in the way of it coming to the wing for seemingly an easy try for a deliberate knock on from Keenan’s pass to O’Brien.
Yellow card for Bulls. Le Roux can have no complaints.
23 mins: Great carry by Conan and he can’t get it to Gibson-Park but a great chase by Gibson-Park and they get a scrum as Le Roux puts over his own line.
From the scrum, Leinster get within inches of the line, the crowd though Joe McCarthy was over but he left the ball behind him. Then they held up Ryan, strong defence by Bulls.
21 mins: Bulls clear and again Keenan makes a great carry, but Bulls pull it back and they have a counter on. With two Bulls players chasing it ominously, Jacobs leading it, Prendergast is an unlikely defensive hero as he heroically slides in to grab it on the ground and cover from well away. That will be a much needed confidence boost for him.
19 mins: Leinster cut through the Bulls again with some thrilling rugby by the backs, Prendergast to Keenan swivelling around again, Lowe on the wing tried to get it over but just doesn’t have enough power.
Caelan Doris has been replaced by Jack Conan as he failed to overcome his pre-match injury, but Leinster coping well so far.
Leinster’s Caelan Doris dejected as he goes off injured. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
16 mins: Try for Leinster! Ioane gets it after a great break by Hugo Keenan. Gibson-Park sparks it though, quick lineout and Keenan cuts through several players and feeds Ioane on the wing to score well under pressure. Prendergast misses the conversion.
Leinster 12 Bulls 0
11 mins: Ioane gives away a penalty but after a lineout, but Leinster turn the ball over and win it back. A big cheer from the crowd, atmosphere is much improved tonight to be be fair. Croke Park looks reasonably full, if well short of a sell-out.
6 mins: Try for Leinster! Bulls have messed up in the middle of the pitch in possession and Tommy O’Brien kicks the ball ahead, bounces nicely up into his hands and an easy try. Converted from under the posts.
Leinster 7 Bulls 0
4 mins: Good play by the Leinster backs as they steam up the pitch. But Bulls slow it up for a minute. And then the 14-man Bulls turn it over, big defensive effort.
2 mins: Canan Moodie is in trouble with the referee early on, as the referee checks TMO for if it was an intentional knock-on.
Yellow card for Bulls! A costly mistake so early on at Croke Park
The starting teams again:
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jerry Cahir, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
BULLS: 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.
With 15 minutes to go until kick-off, here’s Nathan Johns’ tactical analysis.
Leinster toil contrasted with Bordeaux efficiency. For all that the DNA of this country is to unpick defences through phase after phase of well-organised attacks, this is not the blueprint of cup-winning sides. South Africa won two World Cups playing without the ball more often than with it. Ditto Bordeaux in last month’s final. Read more:
[ Leinster can’t fall into the same trap that finished them off in BilbaoOpens in new window ]
Tonight’s decider is in Croke Park, GAA HQ will also host the Tailteann Cup semi-finals and Dublin v Donegal on Sunday. It is hoped that attendance will reach about 40,000.
A general view of Croke Park ahead of the match. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
James Lowe’s exit is a big storyline in Irish and Leinster rugby at the moment and you can listen to our experts Nathan Johns and John O’Sullivan discuss it on The Counter Ruck podcast.
Why is James Lowe leaving Leinster?
The match preview from Gerry Thornley:
“The backdrop as well as the make-up of this Grand Final is uncannily similar to last season. A year ago, no one was quite sure what to expect from a Leinster side still feeling the aftereffects of a Champions Cup anticlimax as they sought to salvage their season with a first trophy in four years against a Bulls side seeking its first URC crown.
“In the event, Leinster rose to the challenge and produced one of their finest performances of the season. Their scrum was strong, their lineout excellent and the Bulls couldn’t live with Leinster’s high tempo or smothering defence. Leo Cullen’s side made 11 line breaks to one and outscored the South African side by four tries to one in a 32-7 win – the biggest winning margin of any final in the competition’s history.
“Leinster may have to scale similar heights again. Although they stayed calm and found a way to beat the Stormers in a very competitive semi-final – which has been a defining trait of their season – that probably won’t cut it against these Bulls.”
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the URC Grand Final with Leinster playing Bulls. Kick-off is at 7.30pm in Croke Park. Leinster are looking for back-to-back titles against South African side Bulls, who they beat last year, and it will be James Lowe’s final game in a Leinster shirt, so they will want him to go out on a high. Here are the teams:
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Rieko Ioane, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Jerry Cahir, Rónan 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: 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.